Woman hears groom a rape accused, calls off wedding

Source:- timesofindia.indiatimes.com

BAREILLY: In bizarre turn of events, a bride called off her wedding on the day she was to tie the knot after learning that her would-be groom is an accused in a rape case. She said she did not want to spend her entire like with someone who was accused of outraging a woman’s modesty.

Initially, the groom’s side was taken aback but relented later. Both families, with the help of the panchayat, have now reached a settlement and are in the process of returning gifts and money.

Bhanu Pratap, 24, a resident of Bhulaniya village under Devraniya police station, claimed that the charges against him were motivated. But he failed to convince the bride to change her mind.

All the preparations were in place for the wedding at the bride’s place at Kundra village under Nawabganj police station on Saturday evening. Hours before the marriage was to be solemnized, a relative tipped the bride’s side that the groom was accused of rape.

According to witnesses, the bride’s side went into a tizzy on learning about the groom. The rumour spread like wild fire that the bride had refused to go ahead with the wedding. The groom and his relatives tried their best to convince the bride’s family that the case was lodged by the groom’s uncle to settle old scores but she refused to budge.

.It was later found that the rape survivor had turned hostile during the investigation. “A case of rape against Bhanu Pratap was filed in June this year. We are about to close the case as the rape survivor has turned hostile and changed her statement before the magistrate. All the charges have been found to be motivated,” Vimlesh Singh, station house officer at Baradari police station, told TOI.