Bihar Teacher Kidnapped and Forced into Marriage in Disturbing ‘Pakadwa Vivah’ Incident

A shocking incident of ‘Pakadwa Vivah,’ or groom kidnapping, has surfaced in Bihar’s Vaishali district, involving Gautam Kumar, a newly appointed teacher at Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya in Patepur’s Repura. Mr. Kumar was forcibly taken from his school premises by three to four individuals last Wednesday, leading to an unexpected turn of events within 24 hours. He was coerced into marrying the daughter of one of the kidnappers at gunpoint, adding another distressing chapter to Bihar’s history of such forced marriages.

The family of Mr. Kumar has pointed fingers at Rajesh Rai and his family, accusing them of orchestrating the abduction and subsequent forced marriage to Chandni, Mr. Rai’s daughter. Reports suggest that Mr. Kumar vehemently refused the marriage proposal, resulting in physical violence against him. Notably, Mr. Kumar referred to a recent Patna High Court ruling that nullified a decade-old forced marriage, highlighting the seriousness of such incidents. Following the family’s protests and roadblocks, the police initiated a search operation to locate the missing teacher and filed an FIR in connection with the case, launching an investigation to apprehend the culprits.

This distressing occurrence sheds light on the recurring problem of ‘Pakadwa Vivah’ in Bihar, where unmarried men are forcibly married at gunpoint. This isn’t the first time such a horrifying incident has come to light. Last year, a veterinarian summoned to tend to a sick animal faced a similar fate in Begusarai, while an engineer, Vinod Kumar, was thrust into a forced marriage a few years ago in Patna’s Pandarak area, creating national headlines. The frequency of these occurrences underscores the urgent need for stringent action and societal awareness to combat this regressive practice that violates individual rights and dignity.

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