Thiruvananthapuram, April 11 – A political storm has erupted in Kerala over the marriage of teenage girl Monalisa Bhosle, who gained public attention after the Kumbh Mela, with the Kerala branch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accusing CPI-M leaders of complicity and demanding criminal action.
State BJP General Secretary, S. Suresh, alleged that the marriage was part of a larger conspiracy and questioned how a 16-year-old girl could have been married off under the watch of political leaders.
Suresh accused the CPI-M of attempting to mask the incident under the guise of secularism and alleged that senior party leaders, including State Secretary M.V. Govindan, Education Minister V. Sivankutty, and MP A.A. Rahim, had committed offenses warranting legal action.
He questioned why a minor who had arrived from another state was allowed to be married instead of being protected.
The controversy escalated after the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes reportedly found that the girl was underage at the time of the wedding to facilitate the marriage.
Based on these findings, the Madhya Pradesh Police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the groom, Farman Khan.
Officials said that further investigation is ongoing.
The Commission's legal team believes there is prima facie evidence of a conspiracy and called for additional charges under the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for forgery.
BJP leader Suresh also demanded action against all those who facilitated the marriage without proper document verification.
The marriage took place on March 11 at a temple near Thiruvananthapuram.
Hospital records reportedly show that the girl was born in December 2009, making her a minor at the time of the marriage ceremony.
The Commission has summoned the Kerala Police Chief Ravada A. Chandrasekhar and Madhya Pradesh Police Chief S.K. Rout to appear in Delhi over the matter.
The CPI-M has denied organizing the wedding, saying that party leaders attended only after learning that the ceremony was taking place.
The case continues to generate debate across political and legal circles, with investigations expected to intensify in the coming days.