In Assam, governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a law that allows underage marriages within the Muslim community has been repealed.
The law was passed just months before India’s forthcoming general elections. The repeal of the 89-year-old Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act of 1935, which took effect immediately on Saturday, has sparked controversy, especially among minority community leaders who perceive it as an attempt to incite voter polarization along religious lines. Assam, home to a Muslim population constituting 34% of its residents, is at the forefront of this legislative change.
The legislative action aligns with the BJP’s broader agenda to enforce uniform civil codes across marriage, divorce, adoption, and inheritance sectors, despite opposition from the Muslim community. A similar amendment was enacted in Uttarakhand earlier this month.
Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma articulated on X that the repealed act previously permitted the registration of marriages for individuals below the legal age of 18 for females and 21 for males. He emphasized that this move represents a critical advancement in the state’s efforts to combat child marriages.
While the BJP positions itself as a defender of ethnic communities, Muslim leaders criticize the repeal as targeted discrimination. Badruddin Ajmal, an Assam legislator and leader of the All India United Democratic Front, which advocates for Muslim rights, accused the BJP of attempting to agitate Muslim citizens to galvanize their electoral base, a strategy he vowed the Muslim community would resist.
