A family in Purnia, Bihar, allegedly performed the symbolic funeral of their 18-year-old daughter after she eloped with her boyfriend and married him in court, according to local reports.
The incident took place in Chapay village under the Town police station area of Purnia on Tuesday.
Riya, a Part I college student, reportedly left home with 24-year-old Minal Kumar on September 8 and later married him in court. The couple had allegedly been in a relationship for around three years and lived about 100 metres apart.
Police Recovered Woman From Delhi
Riya’s father, Manoj Kumar Goswami, had approached Maranga police and filed a missing complaint, fearing that his daughter had been abducted.
Police later reportedly traced Riya to Delhi and brought her back to Purnia. She was produced before a local court, where her statement was recorded.
According to the report, Riya told the court that she had married Minal voluntarily and wanted to be with him.
Her statement reportedly angered her family, which then decided to sever ties with her through a symbolic funeral ceremony.
Effigy Taken Through Village
According to villagers, the family prepared an effigy carrying Riya’s photograph and invited people to participate in the ceremony.
The effigy was placed on a bier and taken through the village in a funeral procession. Participants reportedly raised the Hindu funeral chant “Ram Naam Satya Hai” before Manoj performed the symbolic cremation.
The family has also reportedly said it intends to perform rituals associated with death, including shraddha and pind daan, between the 10th and 13th days.
The family has said that Riya is now “dead” to them and that they will have no further relationship with her.
Father Says Marriage Had Been Arranged
Manoj said the family had already arranged Riya’s marriage with a man from Bhagalpur who works as a government teacher. He claimed the match had been finalised for Rs 6 lakh and that the wedding was scheduled for November.
“We had started preparing for the marriage. In the meantime, my daughter ran away and married of her own choice. Now what will I tell the other family? How will I face them?” he said.
He added that he felt humiliated by his daughter’s decision and said the family had educated and raised her before she chose to leave home.
Villager Awadhesh Kumar said members of the community had earlier attempted to resolve the dispute. According to him, both families were called to a meeting and encouraged to settle the matter through community intervention.
“We had held a meeting earlier and called both sides. We told them to come to a social level solution. We asked them to live as they had earlier and separate the two, but that did not happen,” Awadhesh said.
