Patna: In a shocking incident in Bihar‘s Vaishali district, a young man, recently appointed as a teacher after clearing the Bihar Public Service Commission exam, was abducted and compelled to marry at gunpoint. The victim, identified as Gautam Kumar, fell prey to the practice known as ‘Pakadwa Vivah,’ where unmarried men are kidnapped and coerced into marrying women against their will.
Gautam Kumar, employed at Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya in Repura village, Vaishali, was abducted by a group of three to four men who forcibly took him from his school. Within 24 hours, he found himself forced into a marriage at gunpoint. Despite his family’s attempts to intervene and block the kidnappers, the perpetrators, led by a man named Rajesh Rai, succeeded in abducting Gautam.
The family filed a complaint accusing Rajesh Rai of kidnapping Gautam Kumar with the intention of forcing him to marry Rai’s daughter, Chandni. Gautam faced physical violence when he resisted the forced marriage. Police officers located and rescued Kumar, bringing him back home.
This incident is not an isolated one, as Bihar has witnessed several cases of ‘Pakadwa Vivah’ in the past. In 2022, a veterinarian was similarly abducted and compelled into marriage in Begusarai. In another case, Vinod Kumar, a junior manager at Bokaro Steel Plant, was brutally beaten and forced into marriage in Pandarak a few years ago.
The incident involving Gautam Kumar highlights the urgent need for addressing and curbing the disturbing practice of forced marriages, ensuring the safety and freedom of individuals in the region. Authorities have initiated a probe, and legal actions are expected against the kidnappers under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
