Bihar has decided to take action against government employees who demand or promote dowry and child marriage.

Apparently emboldened by the success of the stringent prohibition laws, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier launched a campaign against dowry and child marriages on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.

Later, the ‘Bandhan Tod’ mobile app was launched to raise awareness on resisting child marriage and providing assistance to adolescent girls in need of help.

The Bihar Women Development Corporation (BWDC) has been made the nodal organisation to successfully implement the campaign. A department official told The Hindu that strict action would be taken against priests and religious leaders who facilitated child marriages. Even the managers of banquet halls and hotels would be asked to take assurances at the time of booking, said the official.

“Government employees against whom complaints of taking dowry or abetting child marriages are received and are found guilty in our inquiry might be sacked from services,” he said.