Kolkata: A Muslim man and a Hindu woman from Nadia’s Nabadwip, who missed their wedding date after being allegedly confronted by religious fundamentalists accused of trying to outrage the woman’s modesty and assaulting her mother, has been granted police protection by Calcutta High Court.Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya had on Oct 7 directed Nabadwip police to provide protection to the couple and their family members so they could complete the marriage formalities.The couple, now in hiding outside Bengal, had scheduled their wedding for July 29 under Special Marriage Act. They submitted their application through the Registrar General of Marriages portal on July 23 and paid the required fee of Rs 17,500.On July 27 evening, two days before they were to marry, an armed mob of around 45 people stormed the woman’s home, claiming they had come to know about the planned interfaith marriage from the registrar. “They identified themselves as members of… ‘Bajrang Dal’ and ‘Durga Bahini,’” said the petition filed by the couple.According to the petition, the mob tried to outrage the woman’s modesty, assaulted her mother, forced the family to sign on blank pages and threatened to burn down their home. They also warned that both families would face a social boycott if the couple proceeded with the wedding.Fearing for their lives, the couple called off their July 29 wedding. On Sept 8, they approached the marriage registrar for a refund, stating they no longer wished to solemnise their marriage in Nabadwip.During the Oct 7 hearing at the high court, the state counsel submitted that on being questioned by police, the registrar denied having been threatened by any organisation.The couple met the registrar on Sept 14. “At that meeting, they expressed their wish to marry elsewhere because of persistent threats from people in their locality. The registrar said he cancelled the marriage owing to the couple’s reluctance,” the state counsel informed the court.The couple’s counsel requested the court that they be allowed to marry in Kolkata. But Justice Bhattacharyya declined to interfere with the statutory rule, which requires a marriage to be solemnised by the registrar within whose jurisdiction the applicants live.“Are you agreeable to marry?” Justice Bhattacharyya asked the couple. Their counsel replied, “Yes, but first I need to safeguard our lives and the lives of our family members.”The judge then ordered, “I will direct the police authorities to provide protection to you and your family members.”
