E-Paper
Groom tied to tree for pressuring bride to wear goggles in U.P’s Pratapgarh
While the marriage was not solemnised, the boy’s side had to pay ₹7 lakh to the girl’s father for expenses incurred in wedding arrangements
The reasons for two people coming together and then joining in matrimony are as diverse as they are intriguing. Still more fascinating are the reasons and circumstances why two people often come as far as the ceremony but turn away right at the last moment.
Sample this: The groom-to-be pressures the bride-to-be to pose for a photograph with him and his friends wearing goggles. The bride refuses, tempers rise, an argument ensues, the two families get involved in the feud, and the groom and his friends are tied to a tree.
These dramatic events unfolded in Mandhata area of Pratapgarh district, where the police had to get involved in confabulations which concluded after 24 hours when both families reached a compromise and went their own way without solemnising the wedding, but not before the boy’s side coughed up ₹7 lakh as compensation for wedding expenses incurred by the girl’s side.
The groom and his kin returned without the bride on Saturday.
The incident drew the attention of internet users after a video of the groom being tied to a tree went viral on social media platforms on Friday.
The Barat had arrived from Jaunpur to village Harakhpur in Mandhata area of Pratapgarh district on Wednesday night. Locals informed that the groom, Ram Singh, asked the bride to wear goggles while posing for a photograph with him after the Jaimal but she refused.
However, Ram Singh’s friends again pressured the bride to wear goggles while posing for a photograph with them. There was an altercation between the groom and bride’s kin. It is alleged that enraged over the refusal, the groom Ram Singh refused marriage.
Soon there was a heated argument between both families despite the intervention of elders. Villagers also came in support of the bride’s family and took the groom, his friends and kin hostage. The groom Ram Singh and some of his friends were tied to a tree on Thursday morning. Some persons present on the spot shot the video of the incident which soon went viral on social media platforms. In the viral video, people can be heard instructing some youths to tie the groom’s friends too.
They even called the police and alleged that the groom and his kin were demanding dowry. Locals even claimed that the groom and his friends were heavily drunk at the time of the rituals.
Elders of both families argued over the issue till late on Friday night following which they decided to pay ₹7 lakh to the bride’s father in lieu of the amount spent on wedding arrangements. Locals said that the bride’s father had borrowed money for his daughter’s marriage.
Senior sub inspector, Mandhata police station, Bhrigunath Mishra, said despite long hours of counselling, both families refused to solemnise the wedding.
