Bride finds groom 'too dark', refuses to marry

In a bizarre incident, a bride in Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh refused to marry, saying the groom was too dark-complexioned. The incident took place in Fursatganj, about 80 km from the state capital, Thursday.

The bride's family and other villagers gathered for the wedding were shocked by the woman's response, on seeing for the first time the man she was to marry. According to information available, the 'baraat' had come from Naseerabad Jamalpur Harayyiya village; all was well till the bride laid eyes on the groom just before the 'phere'.

Just as the wedding was about to be solemnised, the bride threw a tantrum, saying she would not go ahead with the marriage as the groom was too dark to match her beauty. The bride's family tried to persuade her into going ahead with the ceremony, but she would have none of it and walked out of the 'mandap' in a huff.

Fearing strong reactions from the bridegroom's relatives and friends, local villagers called the police. There was precious little policemen could do, as it was a domestic matter.

With no resolution for the "dark" conundrum, the groom beat a hasty retreat without solemnising the marriage.