Jhenidah Sadar upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), also an executive magistrate Shammi Islam on Monday morning have fined Taka five thousand to a women reserve seat ward councilor of Jhenidah municipality Bulbuli Khatun.
The fine was charged when the councilor had produced fake age-proving certificate of a minor girl for her marriage. The certificate was issued in the name of a secondary school in Sailkupa upazila. The UNO had also warned the all to be more careful and cautious during issuance any certificate following age, especially marriage of any girl.
According to a source related to a human rights organization, the ward councilor on April 27 last issued a birth certificate from the office of Jhenidah municipality of the minor girl preparing fake certificate in the name of Umedpur high school in Sailkupa.
Following the age certificate, the minor girl was married to some Rashedul Islam, son of Shawkat Ali of Sundarpur village in Kaliganj upazila. The age-proving certificate was signed by the reserved women ward councilor Bulbuli Khatun.
As the matter was circulated everywhere, the UNO, as well as the executive magistrate, sat with the guardians of the bride and bridegroom, marriage registrar Moulana Anwar Hossain, ward councilor Bulbuli Khatun, Jhenidah municipality sanitary inspector Sankar Nandi and the headmaster of Umedpur high school.
The headmaster detected the age certificate of the girl as fake. The court fined Taka five thousand to councilor Bulbuli Khatun in cash. The UNO warned the concerned to be serious during issuance of any age certificate as it has been helping increase the child marriage with fake certificates and documents.