Meerut: The Sardhana Gram Panchayat here deemed a love marriage invalid, citing that the bride and the groom are from the same village and therefore share the relation of a brother and sister by tradition. After holding a meeting among the villagers, Panchayat also released a decree ordering for the couple to be separated within five days on October 2, and gave the responsibility of getting everything done to the groom's father.
The distraught couple, who fell in love while in college, reached out to SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan seven days ago asking for help. The SSP assured that the case is being investigated and proper action will be taken in the matter as per the law. However, the villagers reportedly have the support of BJP leader Sangeet Singh Som, who was also present in the Panchayat meeting where the separation was forced on the couple. The odds are therefore not entirely in the couple's favor, with no support from their families either.
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The villagers have meanwhile threatened the boy's father to get the couple separated or face abandonment from the village authorities. The girl's father, on the other hand, said that his is a poor family and was intending to get his daughter married as soon as possible. "I had no idea my daughter would take such a step. We want her to come back home and we will get her married somewhere else. Otherwise, we will leave the village, me and my family," the girl's father said.
The couple, meanwhile, is hoping to get help from the police authorities and get the matter resolved legally. As the case gains traction across media, a video where the BJP leader Sangeet Som is supporting the Panchayat's decision is going viral, thereby exposing him to criticism from masses across the country.
