Kazi's licence will be cancelled for registering a child marriage or dowry marriage: Relief Minister Dulu

Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu has warned that the licences of kazis (marriage registrars) will be cancelled if they register a child marriage. Not only child marriage: if a kazi helps arrange a dowry in a marriage, the government will also take legal action against him, he said.

The relief minister made the remarks addressed to kazis while speaking as chief guest at an exchange-of-views meeting of 'Alokito Lalmonirhat' at the field of Government Aditmari GS Model High School in Lalmonirhat on Saturday night (14 November). The meeting was organised by the Aditmari upazila action committee of Alokito Lalmonirhat.

The minister said the licences of nikah registrar kazis would be cancelled outright if they register a dowry marriage or a child marriage. Ages must be properly verified, marriages registered correctly, and the kabinnama (marriage deed) handed to the bride and groom at the ceremony. Any deviation will bring legal action, he said.

He said fine clothes and a fine face do not make a good person; a crime-free person is the good person, the real person. In his words, social and family values are now on a path to destruction.

Asadul Habib Dulu said development of infrastructure alone is not enough. Real development, and development that succeeds, will come only when human development accompanies infrastructure — and only then will there be an 'Alokito Lalmonirhat' (an enlightened Lalmonirhat). That is why, he said, development work is being carried out alongside human development through a social movement.

The minister said deputy commissioners from other districts have already come to Lalmonirhat to spread the 'Alokito Lalmonirhat' social movement across the country. Seeing its goals and activities, they were impressed and pledged to spread it in their own districts, he said.

He further said mosque presidents are chosen by looking at their money, without asking where that money came from. Donating bribe money or drug money and winning applause for it will not lead to paradise, he remarked. Saying society must be freed from drugs and social crimes, he said if people make their own conscience their guard, no one will drift into crime; one's own conscience is the greatest guard.

The minister said one or two drug users might be present in the Alokito Lalmonirhat movement; if anyone is, he should resign voluntarily.

Others who spoke at the meeting included Rashedul Haque Prodhan, convener of the Alokito Lalmonirhat district committee and deputy commissioner; Asaduzzaman, member secretary and superintendent of police; AKM Mominul Haque, administrator of the district council; Gunjan Biswas, Aditmari upazila nirbahi officer (UNO); and Nazmus Sakib Sajib, officer-in-charge (OC) of the police station.

At the event, the minister distributed Alokito Lalmonirhat clothing among members of the upazila action committee. After the meeting, a cultural programme was presented by local artists.