JOIN USHumiliated father commits suicide
He tried to marry off his 14-year old daughter to a man four times her age but could not succeed as his relatives and other community members protested and abused him publicly for “selling” the minor.
Unable to withstand the humiliation in full public view, the man committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance. The groom has been arrested along with his other relatives.
According to reports, Rajendra Singh of Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut town had fixed the marriage of his minor daughter with a 56-year-old Ramanand Singh of the neighboring Baghpat district.
When the wedding party arrived for the marriage at Rajendra’s residence on Friday evening, the relatives and the members of his community were shocked to find that the groom was in his mid-fifties. They started protesting and also thrashed some relatives of the groom for agreeing to the marriage.
Alleging Rajendra Singh might have “sold” his daughter, the relatives abused him publicly.
As Rajendra was a poor man, many believed that he must have taken money from the groom’s family.
Rajendra, who claimed that he had not taken anything and that the marriage had been fixed by a middleman, could not withstand the public humiliation and consumed some poisonous substance. He was rushed to a hospital but was declared brought dead.
Police arrested the groom and other relatives. The groom claimed that he was only 22. “I may be looking old owing to the stress,” he told police. Police are now looking for the middleman and have launched a man hunt to nab him.
Community members said they had extended financial help to Rajendra for getting his daughter married as he was too poor to bear the expenses.