Girl rescued after days in chains over marriage dispute in Rangpur
According to a complaint, she was then confined and kept in chains from 15 April.
A teenage girl has been rescued after being kept in chains at her family home in Machuapara Village of Taraganj upazila, in an incident that highlights the tensions between early marriage, family authority, and a young woman's choice.
The girl, aged 17 years and nine months, had left home three months ago and married Mahbub Alam of the neighboring Nilphamari district following a relationship.
The couple had been living at the husband's family home without any issues.
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On 13 April, she returned to her parents' house for a short visit after being assured by her family. But within two days, the situation changed. When she expressed her wish to go back to her husband's home, her family refused.
According to a complaint, she was then confined and kept in chains from 15 April.
The situation came to light when her father-in-law Majnu Mia filed a written complaint with Taraganj Police Station yesterday afternoon. Police, along with the upazila administration, carried out an operation to rescue the girl.
Speaking about the incident, Majnu Mia said he had accepted the couple when they came to his home and allowed them to live together.
He claimed that relatives from the girl's family had earlier visited and assured him they would accept the marriage before taking her back.
"When my son later went to bring his wife home, he found she had been kept in chains and even beaten," Manju Mia said.
The girl's father, however, stood firm in his position, arguing that the young man was unable to support his daughter financially and that he would not send her back.
Officials said she was found chained inside the house and was later sent to an Integrated Child Rehabilitation Centre in Rangpur.
Ruhul Amin, Officer-in-Charge of Taraganj Police Station, said the girl was rescued and handed over to the Department of Social Services for protection.
Upazila Social Services Officer Mahmudul Haque said the girl's marriage was not legally valid, as she is still under 18.
She was sent to the Integrated Child Rehabilitation Centre in Rangpur and will remain there until she reaches adulthood.
The case has drawn attention to the complex realities faced by young people in rural areas, where personal choices, economic concerns, and legal boundaries often collide, sometimes with deeply distressing consequences.
