Done/ALVI Faiz.Siddiqui@timesgroup.com Kanpur: A bride called off her wedding minutes before the couple was to head for the ‘mandap’ after the groom failed to read a newspaper without glasses.
The bride’s objection was that the groom’s family had not told her family about the poor eye-sight of the boy.
According to reports, Arjun Singh of Jamalipur village had fixed his daughter Archana’s marriage with Shivam, hailing from Maharajpur area of the district.
The bride’s family had gifted the groom a motorcycle and some cash in advance.
On June 20, when the `baraatis’ reached the village to solemnise the marriage, they were given a warm welcome by the bride’s parents and other guests and served with snacks.
Ahead of the `jaimaal’ ceremony, when the bride’s family noticed that the groom was constantly wearing a pair of glasses, they asked him to remove it and read a newspaper.
Shockingly, the groom could not read the newspaper without glasses.
On coming to know that the groom had poor eye-sight and couldn’t read without glasses, the bride refused to marry him and walked away from the ‘mandap’ saying she would not marry a person with poor eye-sight.
The groom’s family and the local police tried to persuade her to go ahead and solemnize the ceremony but she refused to budge.
“We were shocked when the groom failed to read the newspaper.
They (family of the groom) kept us in the dark about his poor eye-sight,” said Arjun Singh, the bride’s father and added, “It was a very awkward situation for all of us as well as a matter of prestige.
The groom’s family has cheated us.” The bride’s father later filed a complaint with the local police.
“We have booked the groom under relevant sections of IPC.
The bride’s side has demanded that the groom’s family return the dowry, including cash and motorcycle.
Investigations are continuing,” said inspector Kotwali Sanjay Pandey.