‘Second wedding’ almost takes couple to divorce

AHMEDABAD: In a bizarre case dealt with by Abhayam 181 helpline personnel, a young couple were on the verge of getting a divorce barely a month after their secret wedding. The reason for their bitter fight was talk of their ‘second’ wedding, in the presence of friends, family and relatives.

According to Abhayam 181 counsellors, they got a call earlier this week from a woman in distress who said that her husband wanted to divorce her. A team spoke to her and learned that the 23-year-old man and 24-year-old woman had met nine months earlier and fell in love. They decided to get married and despite protests, did so in private in December and came to Ahmedabad. They were living at a posh housing society on SG Road.

“The boy’s family came around and offered a truce. They had just one request, as their relatives did not know about their union and it would raise questions if they started living as a couple, they proposed a public wedding which could be attended by all. The girl, however, was not ready for it and this became a major issue between the two. Consequently, the boy severed all contact and began mentioning divorce,” said Sonal Sagathiya, a counsellor with the helpline.

The counsellors met the man and woman first separately and then together and encouraged them to iron out their differences and take a middle path. “We also involved the family and asked the couple to not take major decisions based on petty differences. They have asked for two months’ time to think the matter over and have put the divorce plan on hold,” said Sagathiya.

In another incident, a woman who was tired of her husband’s extramarital affair, was saved at the Sabarmati riverbank after her family told the helpline about her extreme step. The woman, a resident of Chandrabhaga, left home in a huff after a major confrontation. The woman claimed that her husband had been having an affair for 15 years which had affected her and her daughter’s lives.