Interfaith Couple’s Wedding Reception Cancelled After Protest in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur ( UP): An interfaith couple, married for the past five months, were compelled to cancel their wedding reception (walima) in Shahjahanpur following protests allegedly led by members of a right-wing organisation, triggering tension in the area.
The groom, a 27-year-old pharmacist and a resident of Shahjahanpur, and his wife, a 30-year-old professional working with a medical firm in Delhi, had solemnised their marriage under the Special Marriage Act through a court ceremony in the national capital in September last year.
The controversy surfaced on Sunday morning when members of a right-wing group gathered outside the Kotwali police station, demanding that the walima scheduled for later in the evening at a local marriage lawn be cancelled.
As the protest escalated and tensions mounted, the family decided to call off the event.
On Monday, members of the group submitted a written complaint to the police, seeking the registration of an FIR against those who had organised the reception.
The complaint alleged that holding such an event could disturb communal harmony and create unrest in the locality.
Rajesh Awasthi, who identified himself as the Braj Prant Vidhi Pramukh of the Hindu Jagran Manch, and who participated in the protest, claimed that the invitation cards for the walima prominently mentioned the bride and her family’s names.
He alleged that organising the reception in Shahjahanpur was a deliberate attempt to provoke sentiments within the community.
“This was a calculated move meant to taunt and provoke.
We protested at the police station and demanded the cancellation of the walima as such an event had the potential to disturb communal harmony,” Awasthi claimed, adding that a police team visited the marriage lawn and ensured the programme was called off.
However, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Dwivedi said that after receiving information about the matter, a police team visited the venue, where the family themselves informed officers that they did not wish to proceed with the function and had cancelled it voluntarily.
SP Dwivedi clarified that the marriage had been legally solemnised under the Special Marriage Act and that no unlawful or objectionable element had been found.
He also confirmed that the police had received an application from an organisation requesting the registration of a case, which would be examined as per procedure.
The groom’s 60-year-old father said that only a small wedding ceremony had been held in Delhi, attended by a limited number of people.
He explained that January 11 was the birthday of his younger daughter, and the family had planned a gathering on the same day, during which the walima of his son and daughter-in-law was also to be organised.
“The programme was scheduled to begin around 7 pm, and food had been prepared for nearly 600 guests,” he alleged. “But around 4 pm, a police team arrived at the venue and asked me not to go ahead with the event.”
He further claimed that some right-wing members were present at the time. “Following the police request, I cancelled the programme. All the food that had been prepared went to waste,” he said.
According to him, the couple subsequently returned to Delhi. He also denied allegations regarding invitation cards, stating that guests were invited verbally and no printed or circulated cards were used.
Meanwhile, Awasthi said he has urged authorities to seal the marriage lawn and initiate legal action against its owner for allowing the event to be organised.
When contacted, Bharatiya Janata Party Shahjahanpur district president Shilpi Gupta said she was not aware that the walima had been cancelled due to protests. She, however, confirmed that Awasthi is associated with the Hindu Jagran Manch.
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