JOIN USGroom found dead hours before wedding, kin marries bride
In a bizarre incident, a man was found dead in mysterious circumstances hours before his marriage in the city on Friday. However, that didn’t deter the bride’s family from marrying her off to a relative who had come to attend the marriage ceremony, albeit at a different venue.
The groom who died has been identified as Manjunath (28) alias Manju, son of Bhyravachar and Jayamma of Halladamanuganahalli in the district. A carpenter by profession, he was engaged to Geetha, a teacher and daughter of Puttaswamachar and Nagarathna couple of Hinkal here.
The marriage was scheduled for February 23-24 at Sri Rama Mandira on Kalidasa Road at VV Mohalla.
On Thursday, Manjunath had taken part in the marriage-related rituals. However, he disappeared after midnight, and was found dead, hanging from a tree, near a rail track in B M Sri Nagar in the Metagalli police limits early Friday morning.
According to police, Manjunath was in a relationship with Jayamma, a widow, residing at Hebbal. On being invited by Manjunath, Jayamma had come to the ceremony at night. It is alleged that Manjunath was found chatting with her by the bride’s relatives, who upon enquiring Jayamma, discovered they knew each other for the past one year.
Compensation sought
Upset, they decided to call off the marriage and allegedly demanded a compensation of Rs 15 lakh, but settled for Rs four lakh.
They were given a deadline till morning for settling the money and they stayed back in the marriage hall overnight, said a relative of Manjunath. It was during this time Manjunath is said to have vanished. He was found dead four kilometres away from the marriage hall by passersby.
It is also alleged that the bride’s relatives refused to allow the groom’s relatives to leave the hall even after learning about the death of the groom. They relented only after the police intervened.
It was at this juncture that a relative of the bride suggested that the family search for a man willing to marry Geetha. And in no time, they found a groom in Shivaraj, also a carpenter, who had come for the ceremony.
He is a close relative of the bride. Soon, the marriage venue was shifted to Yoganarasimha Swamy Temple in Vijayanagar and the priests conducted the marriage.
Geetha told the media she was in a haze after the surprise developments, but that she was relieved after finding a groom in Shivaraj. Shivaraj, on his part, said he was happy to “give life to a woman who was on brink of uncertainty”.