Epilepsy-struck groom held hostage by bride's family in Bihar, wedding cancelled

An ongoing wedding in Bihar’s Nalanda district had to be cancelled after the groom fell unconscious due to epilepsy while performing one of the marriage rituals on the mandap (wedding stage).

The baraat had come from Fatuha (in Patna) to Asthawan (Nalanda). After the customary garlanding and welcome ceremonies, the groom Amar Kumar was asked to sit on the mandap, while the priest started the customary puja.

As the priest was tying the religious thread on the wrist of the groom’s hand, Amar became unconscious and fell down. Shocked, the priest enquired about the groom’s health. He was informed that Amar was afflicted with ‘mirgi’ (epilepsy) and, therefore, became unconscious.

All hell broke loose. The bride’s family members, shell-shocked, charged the groom side as to why the health condition of the groom was not disclosed during the marriage negotiations itself.

As the groom side had no satisfactory answer to offer, it was decided to keep the groom and the baraat hostage till all the expenses incurred (till then) by the bride’s family was paid, all in cash.

With the wedding cancelled, the groom's side refused to shell out a single penny.

Eventually, the local police had to be called in. “Both the sides have been pacified. The groom's side paid compensation to the bride’s family. The baraat returned without wedding as the bride refused to marry an epilepsy-struck man. However, no case has been lodged in this connection,” said Dinesh Singh, the officer-in-charge of the local police station.

In Bihar, weddings have been allowed even during lockdown with a limited guests of 50 persons. From May 16 onwards, the guests’ limit has been curtailed to 20.