A marriage registration office inside Ahmedabad‘s metro court complex turned into a scene of chaos on March 3 when members of a Hindu organisation, lawyers and the girl’s family created a major disturbance after a Hindu woman from Gandhinagar arrived to marry a Muslim man from the city. Police had to deploy a heavy force and spent hours extracting the couple from the premises.
How It Unfolded at the Registrar’s Office
The Hindu woman from Dahigam in Gandhinagar district and the Muslim man, identified as Salman Mansuri of Naroda, had applied for marriage registration several months earlier. They arrived at the office of District Registrar M. M. Syed in the Ghikanta area at 9.30 in the morning, well before the scheduled opening time of 11 am.
To avoid being recognised and to prevent a confrontation, the woman had reportedly dressed in a lawyer’s robe. However, when lawyers present at the court noticed a non-lawyer entering in legal attire, they raised an objection, which quickly snowballed into a larger commotion. The girl’s family, who were also present on the premises, and workers of a Hindu organisation soon reached the spot and began creating a ruckus.
The registrar called both the young man and the woman into his office and locked the door. Police arrived in large numbers to control the situation. During the standoff, some youths from the Hindu organisation clashed with police and were subsequently detained. After hours of effort, police managed to bring the couple out safely.
Girl’s Family Speaks Out
The woman’s uncle, Ashok Patel, told reporters that the family had been visiting the office for 45 days in connection with the registration process. He said they had expected the girl to arrive in a burqa but were caught off guard when she appeared in a lawyer’s dress. “As soon as the daughter arrived, the registrar called her inside his office along with the boy and locked her from inside. We have only one demand that our daughter be handed over to us,” he said.
BJP MLA Arrives, Questions Registrar’s Role
Local BJP MLA Kaushik Jain also reached the spot after hearing about the uproar. He alleged that the marriage had not yet been completed and that lawyers who had come for registration had withdrawn their vakalatnama after a misunderstanding. He said Hindu organisations and the girl’s family were accusing Registrar M. M. Syed of favouring the Muslim youth.
“If I receive a complaint about this, I will seek action from the government against the registrar,” Jain said. He also noted that under the law, a marriage registration must be displayed on a public notice board for a full month before it is considered legally complete, and said he would follow up with the government if that process was not followed.
VHP Calls It Love Jihad, Targets Registrar
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad took a hardline position on the incident. VHP leader Mehta made serious allegations against Registrar Syed, claiming that because the registrar is Muslim, he displayed a partisan attitude and facilitated the registration process in violation of rules. The VHP accused the woman of having been brought to the court premises secretly in a lawyer’s uniform to hide her identity, calling it tampering with the legal and security process.
The VHP demanded strict police action against the woman for entering as a fake lawyer and against those who allegedly helped plan it. The organisation declared the case a clear instance of what it termed “love jihad” and warned that it would intensify its movement on the issue.
Lawyers Object to Misuse of Legal Attire
The woman’s choice of disguise also drew strong reactions from the legal community. A senior prosecutor said that a woman who was neither a lawyer nor a legal professional had entered the court in a lawyer’s dress, which they found deeply objectionable. He said they had reported the matter to the local police station and demanded legal action against both the woman and any person who helped her dress in legal robes.
Police Detain Workers, Probe Continues
Police deployed a large fleet at the court premises to bring the situation under control. Several people were detained in connection with the violence and the clashes that occurred on the premises. Investigators are now examining the legitimacy of the marriage documents and looking into the circumstances around the woman wearing a lawyer’s uniform to enter the court.
