Kerala police deny any lapse in marriage of Kumbh Mela viral girl, police protection will be provided if required

THIRVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Police has maintained that there was no lapse on its part in the marriage of the Kumbh Mela viral girl. DGP Rawada Chandrasekhar will appear before the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission tomorrow and inform about this. The DGP will inform the commission that the girl is in Kerala and is ready to provide protection if requested. The police investigation report states that the marriage was conducted after verifying the documents submitted to both the police and the local body department confirming that the girl had completed 18 years.

The Madhya Pradesh police team that had reached Kochi to take the couple into custody had returned after the girl's husband Mohammed Farman informed that his wife is pregnant and would not be able to appear before the police immediately. The team that reached Kochi on March 17 was unable to find the two. Efforts to trace their friend Joshua, who helped the viral star and her husband, were also in vain.

The two got married on March 11 at the Nainar temple in Poovar Arumanoor, Thiruvananthapuram. Following this, the girl’s father filed a complaint with the Madhya Pradesh Police, claiming she was only 16 years, leading to a POCSO case being registered against Farman. The girl's stand is that she is an adult. When the Madhya Pradesh police reached Kochi, the girl sent a letter to the chief minister and the Kochi City Police seeking protection.