A total of 416 individuals were arrested during the third phase of the crackdown on child marriage in Assam, as stated by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday.

This phase of the operation commenced on the night of December 21-22. The police have filed 335 cases, and those arrested are set to be presented in court on Sunday.

“Assam continues its fight against child marriage. In Phase 3 operations launched on the night of Dec 21-22, 416 arrests were made and 335 cases registered. The arrested individuals will be produced in court today. We will continue to take bold steps to end this social evil,” the chief minister stated on X.

The state government previously initiated a campaign against child marriage in two phases in February and October 2023. During the first phase in February, 3,483 arrests were made along with 4,515 cases registered, while the second phase in October saw 915 arrests and 710 cases filed.

In October, Sarma announced that his government is committed to eradicating child marriage in Assam by 2026. This declaration coincided with the disbursement of the first installment under the Mukha Mantri Nijut Moina scheme, which provides girls with fixed monthly payments to support their pursuit of higher education, contingent upon their remaining unmarried until they complete their degrees.

The scheme, with a total projected budget of Rs 1,500 crore, aims to benefit 10 lakh female students by transferring financial support to their accounts. The first installment, designated for 1.6 lakh identified students, was issued in alignment with the Navratri festival, with payments scheduled to be credited on the 11th of each month starting from November.

Chief Minister Sarma outlined clear guidelines for beneficiaries, stating that they must regularly attend classes, achieve satisfactory academic performance, and adhere to discipline. Importantly, the scheme excludes the daughters of Ministers, Members of Parliament, and Members of the Legislative Assembly, and it mandates that beneficiaries must not marry before completing their graduation.

He further noted that the government’s initiative against child marriage has contributed to notable improvements in maternal and infant mortality rates in the state. The Nijut Moina scheme seeks to bolster efforts against child marriage by alleviating the financial strain on the families of girls aspiring for higher education.

Under this scheme, the monthly stipend varies based on educational level, with girls in Class XII receiving Rs 1,000, those in their first year of graduation receiving Rs 1,250, and postgraduate students receiving RS 2,500, all for a duration of ten months. However, there are no restrictions on marriage for girls enrolled in postgraduate programs.

Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip have resulted in the deaths of at least 17 Palestinians, including eight individuals killed at a school in Gaza City that served as a shelter for displaced families, according to medics.

In a separate incident, medical personnel reported that eight people, including children, lost their lives at the Musa Bin Nusayr School, which was housing internally displaced persons.

The Israeli military claimed that the strike targeted Hamas militants reportedly operating from a command center located within the school, alleging that these militants utilized the facility to plan and conduct attacks against Israeli forces. Additionally, in Gaza City, four Palestinians died when an airstrike struck a vehicle.

In two other airstrikes carried out in Rafah and Khan Younis in the southern part of the enclave, at least five more Palestinians were reported killed. In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, where Israeli forces have been active since October, Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, stated that the military ordered the evacuation of the hospital, directing staff to relocate patients and injured individuals to a nearby medical facility. However, he noted that accomplishing this task was “next to impossible” due to a lack of ambulances available for patient transport.

Israeli operations have been ongoing in the towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, as well as the Jabalia refugee camp, for nearly three months. Palestinians have accused Israel of engaging in “ethnic cleansing” aimed at depopulating these areas to establish a buffer zone, an allegation that Israel denies. The Israeli government maintains that its military campaign is intended to combat Hamas militants and prevent their reorganization, asserting that hundreds of militants have been killed and military infrastructure dismantled since operations began.

Simultaneously, armed factions of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claim to have inflicted significant casualties on Israeli soldiers through ambushes during this period. Efforts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have yet to yield results. Sources close to the negotiations indicated that, while Qatar and Egypt have been able to mitigate some disputes between the involved parties, fundamental obstacles remain.

The escalation of violence began following an attack by Hamas-led fighters on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,200 Israeli fatalities and over 250 hostages being taken. Current Israeli estimates suggest around 100 hostages are still being held, though the status of many remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, authorities in Gaza report that Israel’s ongoing military campaign has led to the deaths of over 45,000 Palestinians and the displacement of a substantial portion of the 2.3 million residents in the region, with significant portions of the coastal area now in ruins.

A recent ruling by a U.S. court has deemed Israel’s NSO Group accountable for its Pegasus spyware, inciting strong criticism from Congress leader Randeep Surjewala. Surjewala emphasised that the court’s decision bolsters allegations that 300 WhatsApp numbers in India were compromised.

In this case, a U.S. judge favored Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp, concluding that NSO Group had exploited a vulnerability in the messaging service to deploy spyware for unauthorized surveillance.

Surjewala took to social media platform X to assert, “The Pegasus Spyware case verdict proves how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted in the illegal spyware racket.”

He raised several questions directed at the Indian government, including inquiries about the identities of the 300 targeted individuals, specifically asking, “Who are the two Union Ministers? Who are the three Opposition leaders? Who is the Constitutional Authority? Who are the journalists? Who are the business persons?” He probed further, questioning, “What information was retrieved by the BJP government and agencies? How was it used – misused and to what consequence? Will appropriate criminal cases be now lodged against political executives/officers in the present government and the company owning NSO?”

Surjewala also posed whether the Supreme Court would take into account the U.S. court’s judgment in the Meta v. NSO case. He queried if the Supreme Court would make public the report from the Committee of Technical Experts on Pegasus Spyware, submitted in 2021-22, and whether it would investigate further given the ruling affirming that 1,400 WhatsApp numbers, including 300 from India, were targeted.

He suggested that Meta should be responsible for releasing the names of the 300 individuals, citing their significant subscriber base in India and a corresponding ‘duty of care & disclosure’ to its clients.

U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland ruled in favor of WhatsApp’s motion, finding NSO Group liable for hacking and breach of contract. The case will now advance solely to determine the damages owed. Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp, described the ruling as a “victory for privacy,” highlighting that they invested five years in their case because they believe spyware companies cannot evade accountability for their wrongful actions.

WhatsApp originally filed the lawsuit against NSO in 2019, seeking both an injunction and damages for unauthorized access to its servers to install Pegasus spyware on victims’ devices six months prior to the lawsuit. The lawsuit asserted that 1,400 individuals, including dissidents, journalists, and human rights advocates, were monitored due to the breach. NSO maintained that Pegasus was utilized by law enforcement and intelligence agencies for crime prevention and national security, specifically targeting terrorists, paedophiles, and criminals.

NSO had previously appealed a 2020 ruling that denied it “conduct-based immunity,” a legal provision designed to protect foreign officials acting in their official capacity. In 2021, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the initial ruling, determining that NSO’s involvement in licensing and providing technical support for Pegasus did not grant it immunity under the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently declined to hear NSO’s appeal, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.