Girl rejects foul-mouthed groom at altar

A Muslim girl rejected her groom at a government-sponsored mass wedding in Madhya Pradesh because she overheard him using foul language and misbehaving with people.

Azra Bi (18) told officials conducting the mass wedding that she did not want to marry a man such as Rafat Pathan (23) because his foul-mouthed ways suggested he was unlikely to treat her with dignity.

The mass wedding was being organised under a state-sponsored scheme for poor people who cannot afford the expense of nuptials at Sironj in Vidisha district of the central Indian state.

Azra of Narkheda village was to wed Rafat Pathan of Mahoti at a ceremony that saw 396 Hindu and 55 Muslim couples getting married on Friday.

Moments before their wedding, Azra overheard Rafat using abusive language repeatedly while talking to his friends. Upset at his behaviour, she walked up to a district officer, Manish Sharma, and informed him of her decision.

Sharma deputed his subordinate, Yasha Rai, to talk to Azra. “Azra told me that she was upset with the man's abusive language and bad behavior so she did not want to get married to him,” Rai told The Statesman.

The official also said that Azra was unhappy at not even having met the groom before the planned wedding.

“Azra said that she had to say yes to the wedding as a compromise because they are very poor and her father remains ill while she has unmarried younger sisters too, but after seeing the boy's behavior she changed her mind,” Rai said.

The official added that the girl has studied till standard VIII and has expressed a strong desire to continue her studies.