Bride and prejudice: Aadhaar fudged to mask child marriages in K'giri

To evade arrest in child marriage cases, family members of the girl child have allegedly been found to be tampering with the date of birth in the girl's Aadhaar card.

- SIVAGURU S @Krishnagiri

Six such incidents had come to light in Kelamangalam Block of Krishnagiri district in the past six months, according to the health department.

Six underage married girls from Bettamugilalam, Kopparai, Jakkeri and other areas in Kelamangalam Block were found pregnant by the health department, and the date of birth on their Aadhaar cards was allegedly found changed by their relatives. The health department found out the issue with the support of the Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME)—a system deployed by the TN government to track all pregnant women—and Aadhaar seeding details on the PICME portal.

Persons registered under PICME are provided with an ID, which is used to track all aspects of the pregnancy by the health department.