Avnish Kumar, who had recently cleared the Bihar Public Service Commission exam to become a teacher, was on his way to work on Friday when two Scorpios intercepted him. A dozen unknown assailants emerged from the vehicles, brandishing guns at him. Within hours, Avnish was kidnapped, beaten, and forced into marrying a woman he was accused of being in a four-year-long relationship with.
This incident adds to the growing number of 'Pakadwa Vivah' cases in Bihar, where unmarried men are coerced into marriage at gunpoint. According to police reports, 2024 has seen the highest number of forced marriages in the last three decades.
Avnish Kumar, the son of Sudhakar Rai and a resident of Rajaura in Begusarai district, was abducted by relatives of Gunjan, a woman from Lakhisarai district. Avnish and Gunjan were reportedly in a four-year-long relationship. Still, despite this, Avnish, who had recently secured a government teaching job and was posted at a middle school in Katihar, allegedly refused to marry her.
Gunjan claimed that their relationship was serious, with frequent hotel stays and time spent together at Avnish's residence in Katihar.
"He had promised to marry me and start a family," Gunjan alleged. "He had also taken me to his school. We were in love for four years. But when I informed my family about it, and we approached him for marriage, he refused. This was unacceptable."
Three days before the incident, Gunjan's family reportedly found the couple together in Katihar. They then allegedly abducted Avnish and forced him to marry Gunjan in a temple. A viral video captures the distressing scene, where Avnish is held by multiple men while Gunjan, dressed in a wedding saree and sporting vermilion on her forehead, stands by. Avnish appears visibly distressed as he is pressured into performing the marriage rituals under duress.
After the forced ceremony, Gunjan accompanied her family back to Avnish's home in Rajaura, but a confrontation followed. Avnish managed to escape, and when Gunjan arrived at his house, his family refused to accept her as part of their household.
Gunjan has since filed a police complaint, seeking justice for the ordeal.
Avnish, however, denied the allegations of a romantic relationship with Gunjan. "I had no love for that girl," he claimed. "She harassed me by repeatedly calling and stalking me. On the day of the incident, some men kidnapped me in a Scorpio vehicle while I was on my way to school. They beat me, forcibly applied vermilion, and tried to perform rituals. I protested throughout."
Avnish has also filed a complaint, accusing the perpetrators of kidnapping and physical assault.