Bhopal, India - A polio-afflicted tribal girl and her Christian fiancé in Madhya Pradesh are in despair after their marriage was postponed thrice, allegedly due to objections from a Hindu group. The girl has threatened suicide if the wedding, now fixed for Thursday, is not allowed to take place.
Meena Gond, 36, and Peter Abraham, 38, of Jabalpur district have been waiting to get married since October, when they had applied for permission to wed at the office of the local authorities.
Opposing the marriage is Dharam Sena, an offshoot of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Why? Because the groom is a Christian! The Sena claims such a marriage would "boost conversions" in the state.
And Additional Collector Deepak Singh, who is also the district marriage officer, has refused to solemnise the marriage on the three dates given by his office because "the groom is a Christian while the bride is not".
After they applied to marry, the couple patiently waited for the mandatory 40-day notice period to elapse during which objections, if any, could be filed. The waiting was over Nov 13 but the Dharam Sena filed an objection.
They were asked to appear Dec 20. That day the couple was aghast to find the marriage date postponed yet again. They were told to come Jan 4 because investigation on the Sena's complaint had not been completed.
On Jan 4, they were again not allowed to marry and have been called Jan 11.
Disgusted, Meena has threatened suicide if she is not allowed to marry Peter. "I am fed up. It looks like I should commit suicide," she said.
But the Dharam Sena is not moved. Sudhir Agarwal, the Sena's Mahakaushal region convenor, said: "Peter is a Christian. He has lured the poor tribal girl by offering money. Sooner or later, she will be forced to change her religion.
"We have specific knowledge that some Christian missionaries are doling out money to people like Peter to influence tribal people to convert to their religion."
The Congress party has threatened to launch an agitation if the couple is not allowed to marry. A Congress delegation led by Naresh Saraf and Suraj Jaiswal met district collector Sanjay Dubey Sunday and handed him a memorandum demanding that the marriage should be solemnised as soon as possible.
They also met Governor Balram Jakhar Tuesday and petitioned him. The governor has promised to take up the matter with the chief secretary.