Patna, Jan 18 (IANS): Days ahead of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "human chain against child marriage" event, police on Thursday said they have arrested a man in Samastipur district for marrying a minor girl.

Mohd Saddam who lives in Haripur village is already a father of three.

"Child marriage is not only illegal, it is a punishable crime and police have arrested one such offender," Dilnawaz Ahmad, a district police official said.

According to police officials, the minor belongs to a poor family, forcing her parents to marry her off.

Earlier this week, a court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Madhubani district, sentenced jail to a minor girl's parents for marrying their daughter off.

Both the incidents occurred days ahead of Nitish Kumar's much hyped "human chain" against child marriage and dowry event, scheduled on January 21.

The Bihar government plans to form "the world's longest human chain against child marriage and dowry".

Nitish Kumar launched a massive campaign against the child marriage and dowry in the state on October 2, 2017.