MP Police in Kochi to probe Kumbh Mela viral girl’s marriage

A police team from Madhya Pradesh arrived in Kochi on Thursday to probe the controversial marriage of Monalisa Bhosle, a young girl who came into the limelight during the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela.

A five-member police team, including a woman officer from Maheshwar police station in Madhya Pradesh, reached Thrikkakara police station in Kochi on Thursday morning and met the Station House Officer. The team arrived based on information that the girl and her husband, Farman Khan, live in Kalamassery.

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The Kerala High Court on April 8 granted Farman temporary protection from arrest until May 20.

The Madhya Pradesh police team told the media in Kochi that a case has been registered based on documents indicating that the girl is only 16 years old.

Meanwhile, the girl has submitted a petition to the State Police Chief and the Kochi City Police Commissioner seeking protection.

In her petition, she claimed that she is 18 years old and alleged that there could be attempts to forcibly take her to Madhya Pradesh.

The Madhya Pradesh Police has registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) against Farman Khan, husband of Monolisa Bhosle, following findings by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) that she was a minor at the time of the marriage.

While the couple claimed that Monalisa was an adult (18+) at the time of their marriage on March 11, 2026, in Kerala, an inquiry by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) and subsequent investigation revealed she was a minor, reportedly around 16 years and 2 months old.

The Kumbh Mela viral star got married on March 11 at the Arumanoor Sri Nainar Deva Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The NCST probe found that a fake certificate had been made for the marriage. Hospital records in Madhya Pradesh show that the girl was born on December 30, 2009. The commission’s report also states that a fake birth certificate was made for the marriage. With this, a case has been registered against Farman Khan under the POCSO Act.

CPM Kerala secretary MV Govindan, Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty, and Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim participated in the marriage. They championed the wedding of Monalisa and Farman Khan as a symbol of “the real Kerala story.”

The NCST has summoned the Directors General of Police from both Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to appear in New Delhi on April 22, 2026. The commission is demanding accountability for how a minor was allowed to marry under the patronage of public representatives using allegedly forged documents.