Wedding Chaos in UP: Bride’s Family Holds Groom Hostage Over Alleged Affair

New Delhi: A wedding in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, took an unexpected twist as the bride's family took the groom hostage and demanded that his family reimburse the costs of the wedding preparations. The bride’s family has also decided to cancel the wedding, claiming that the groom was involved with another woman.

The unusual situation took place as preparations for the wedding were underway. The groom, Sohanlal Yadav from Ayodhya, went missing days before the wedding. His family reported him as missing, but the bride's family, unaware of this, continued with their plans. On the night of the wedding, as guests arrived, the groom was still absent.

Eventually, the bride’s family was called to the local police station, where they found the groom's whereabouts. Following police involvement, the groom agreed to attend the wedding and arrived at the bride's house with the wedding procession around 2:30 am. By then, the bride's family was aware of his alleged affair. They offered him a meal but declared that the wedding was off, demanding that he and his family cover the wedding expenses before he could leave. The groom was effectively being held hostage at the bride’s residence, a stark contrast to the festive event originally planned.  

“There was no issue. We just arrived late. Now they are saying they don’t want to go ahead with the wedding and are asking for compensation. They won’t let me leave.” He denied having disappeared, claiming, “I was in Lucknow, and my phone had stopped working. When I managed to turn it back on, the police called me, and I went to the station. I wanted to marry, but they aren’t willing to proceed", said Sohanlal.

The bride’s father, Lal Bahadur Yadav, explained that the wedding had been arranged 10 months earlier. “Three days after the Tilak ceremony, he (the groom) called off the wedding as the 'groom wanted a car'. "Later, he changed his mind and asked for cash instead, which we also agreed to. We asked if there were any other issues, and he said no. So, we continued with the preparations", Yadav added.  

On the night of the wedding, as guests began leaving, the groom had still not shown up.  

The groom reportedly agreed to marry only after police informed him that he could face charges related to dowry. “Under pressure, he agreed. When he arrived, the villagers wanted to attack him, but I stopped them. We fed him, but he ran away three days before the wedding. He is involved with another woman. He should have been honest with us earlier, then we wouldn’t have made all these preparations. We want him to reimburse us for the expenses, and then he can go. We don’t want this wedding. He betrayed us before it even started; what can we expect after?” the bride’s father told NDTV.

The groom agreed to the wedding only because cops had warned him that he could face a dowry case. However, despite police efforts to mediate, the bride’s family repeatedly refused to change their stance.