15-year-old Jamui Boy Abducted, Forcefully Married; Watch

Pakadwa Vivah (marriage by abduction) is a common practice in Bihar. The tradition is simple. Select the groom who has a government job, kidnap him and tie the nuptial knot at gunpoint. In contrast to the eligibility of the groom under this marriage concept, a bizarre wedding took place in the Jamui district of Bihar in which a 15-year-old groom was kidnapped and forced to marry a girl of his higher age. The reason behind the marriage is still not revealed yet by the police officials. The video of the incident has gone viral now.

In the viral video, a minor was seen surrounded by a bunch of guys who allegedly forced the 15-year-old boy to apply vermillion to the bride. He was also thrashed after he refused to marry the girl. The incident took place at Gopalpur of Khaira police station area. As per the reports, Gopalpur resident Ganauri Thakur and three other people together kidnapped the minor boy and then forcibly got him married. The minor’s family members have also lodged an FIR in Khaira police station regarding the incident.

In the FIR, Lakshmi Thakur, a resident of Dabil of Khaira Police Station reportedly told in her application that Ganauri Thakur, a resident of Gopalpur, reached her house with his 3 associates and forcibly abducted her 15-year-old minor son Rambalak Kumar. After this, they all brought him to Gopalpur where he was forcibly married to a girl who was a resident of Kodwatand. The police are investigating this matter. Police Station Head Shashi Bhushan Kumar said the application has been received and appropriate action will be taken after the investigation.

A similar incident took place on March 27, when a revenue officer named Rintu Kumar was forcibly married to a girl in the Begusarai district of Bihar. As per media reports, a dozen such cases have been reported in the last year, which is a minuscule percentage of unreported ones. According to the State Crime Record Bureau, 7,194 forced marriage cases were reported in the state from January to November 2020, 10,925 in 2019, 10,310 in 2018 and 8,972 in 2017.