Brides refuse to marry 'dark' grooms

 In an incident reflective of growing awareness among girls even in the rural areas, two minor sisters in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra district, about 350 km from here, refused to marry their respective grooms, who too were brothers, as they were not only much older to them but also ‘dark’.

According to the reports, the two sisters, aged around 14 and 16 years, left the wedding venue at Sikrara village in the district and went to the home of one of their relatives after some elders from both sides tried to persuade them to agree to the marriage.

Reports said the marriage of the girls had been fixed with brothers, who hailed from Aligarh district. The grooms were reportedly 25 and 30 years old. The wedding was to be solemnised on Wednesday.

Reports said that minutes before the ‘jaimal’ (a ritual during which the bride garlands the groom and he reciprocates), the two girls, upon seeing the grooms, refused to go ahead with the ritual saying that they were 'too old' and also “too dark”.

A panchayat was convened to discuss the matter and elders from both sides tried their best to convince the brides to change their decision but they remained firm.

They also threatened to approach the police if they were forced to marry the grooms.
DH News Service