AGRA: A bride called off her wedding in Agra after the groom, a police constable, insisted on a dowry of Rs 30 lakh before agreeing to complete the marriage rituals. The incident occurred on Wednesday night at a venue under the Khandauli police station. Ravi Kumar, a constable with the Agra police, was arrested after the bride’s father, a sub-inspector posted in Ghaziabad, filed a police complaint against him.
The groom’s dowry demand came shortly after the garland exchange (varmala) ceremony. When the bride’s family expressed their inability to meet the hefty demand, an argument erupted between the two parties. Realizing that the groom, whom she had believed to be her partner, was making unreasonable demands, the bride refused to go ahead with the marriage, calling his behavior unacceptable. The bride’s family then decided to call off the wedding.
Khandauli police station officer-in-charge, Rakesh Singh Chauhan, confirmed that a case had been registered against Ravi Kumar under sections 352 (intention to insult) and sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. “The groom was arrested but later released on bail after being served a notice. A chargesheet will be submitted in court,” Chauhan added.
According to the bride’s father, the groom’s party arrived around 10:30 pm on Wednesday, and the ‘tilak’ ceremony was held. However, despite repeated requests from the bride’s family, the groom’s side refused to proceed with the wedding rituals unless their demand was met. “We tried to persuade them until 3 am, but they remained adamant. Finally, around 4 am on Thursday, I contacted the police,” the bride’s father said in his complaint.
A family member of the bride mentioned that the bride’s family had already spent significant amounts on the wedding preparations, including household items and appliances worth several lakhs.
