60-year-old UP chairman marries teenager in Patuakhali

A 60-year-old man, chairman of Konakdia union parishad under Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali, has married a 14-year-old at an arbitration he called over the girl eloping with her 19-year-old boyfriend.

Shahin Hawladar, who is already married with two children, married the class eight student -- showing her as an 18-year-old on legal documents, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.

Shahin, who is also the general secretary of the Konakdia union unit of Awami League, called a Kazi (marriage registrar) and married the girl at his house in Ayla village last night. His first wife was present in the house at the time.

"The 14-year-old had an affair with a 19-year-old boy from the same area. The couple eloped on Thursday night without consent of their families. When the girl's father informed Shahin, he called the teen's brother to the UP office yesterday," locals told The Daily Star.

"Both the families, including the teenagers, went to the UP office around 9am yesterday. After seeing the girl, the chairman expressed his interest to marry her. He also threatened both families not to make a big deal about it," said the brother of the 19-year-old boy.

The girl's father Nazrul Islam is a labourer by profession and declined to comment on the matter.

The marriage registrar Abu Sadeq admitted conducting the marriage: "I conducted the marriage after seeing the birth registration." He declined to comment further.

"I have heard the news of the UP chairman's marriage. Legal action will be taken in this regard," Bauphal Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Zakir Hossain told The Daily Star.

"I married the girl with consent of her family. I did not marry her by force," Shahin told this correspondent.

He claimed the girl is 18 years of age.