Wedding called off, duo drink poison

GHAZIABAD: A 19-year-old girl and a youth consumed poison inside a hotel room in Kotwali on Friday after their arranged marriage was called off following a dispute between the two families allegedly over dowry.
The girl, Pooja Singh, a resident of Shakarpur in Delhi, died while the 25-year-old man, Subodh Kant, a resident of Sihani, is battling for life at Yashoda Hospital.

SP (city) Shlok Kumar said the two had consumed sulphas, a poisonous substance, in their room in Shubham Hotel near Ghaziabad railway station where they had checked in around 1.30am on Friday.

The girl’s parents have accused the youth’s family of demanding a hefty dowry and later calling off the marriage when they could not meet their demands. Subodh’s family has denied the allegation.

Pooja’s father Yadhuveer Singh, who sets up garment stalls in weekly markets in Delhi, said he would lodge a complaint with police against Subodh’s family members. However, no police complaint was lodged till late on Friday evening.

Subodh’s father Trilok Chand refuted the allegation of dowry, saying it was the girl’s family who had called off the marriage because of “personal reasons”.

Sources said the families of Pooja and Subodh had met through a common friend in April this year and decided in the first week of July to go ahead with the marriage. An engagement ceremony was held in mid-April. But, within a month, the marriage was reportedly put off for November 19 and eventually called off.

Pooja and Subodh, however, kept meeting each other. The youth’s father, Trilok Chand, said he was unaware of the duo’s relationship and learnt about it only on Monday when Pooja came to his house and told him she wanted to marry Subodh despite the opposition.

“I told her to go back home and let her parents speak to me. I was a tad surprised as Subodh had not informed us anything,” Chand said.

Police said that on Wednesday, Subodh, who works as a technician with an electronic goods company in Ghaziabad, went to Pooja’s house in the afternoon and left with her in the evening saying they were going to a nearby temple. They did not return home, though Pooja called her mother Rajwati the next day and told her they would be back soon.

SP Kumar said the police were informed about the alleged suicide attempt by the hotel management early on Friday. “After consuming sulphas inside their room, they rushed downstairs and told the hotel staff they were feeling uneasy. They also called up their family members. The girl died soon, and the boy was admitted to a private hospital,” Kumar added.

The girl’s mother said Pooja and Subodh had most probably got married in a temple. “I found vermillion on her head. They would have been alive today, had Subodh’s parents not rejected their match.”