Pakadwa Vivah: Teacher Abducted From Bihar School, Married Off At Gunpoint, Rescued By Police

A 23-year-old teacher from Bihar, who was abducted and forced to marry a woman at gunpoint, has been freed by the police.

The victim, Gauram Kumar Rai, a government school teacher in Bihar's Vaishali district, was kidnapped on Wednesday by a group of armed men.

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How victim was forced into marriage

Gauram had recently passed the Bihar Public Service Commission Examination (BPSC) and was appointed a teacher in a government middle school in Repura village.

On Wednesday afternoon, he was kidnapped from school at gunpoint and taken to an undisclosed location.

He was allegedly forced to marry one Chandni Kumari, the daughter of Rajesh Rai, a local brick klin owner.

When Gauram resisted, the armed men allegedly brutally assaulted him and forcibly conducted the marriage.

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How he was rescued

Gauram was rescued by the police after his grandfather, Rajendra Rai, lodged a complaint with the Patepur police station on Thursday.

The family members of the victim blocked Mahua Tajpur state highway on Wednesday evening and also did the same on Thursday morning.

Based on the complaint, the police raided Rajesh Rai's house on Thursday and rescued Gauram.

What is Pakadwa Vivah?

The 23-year-old is the latest victim of what is described as pakadwa vivah, an illegal practice prevalent in several parts of Bihar, where young and employed men are abducted and forced to marry women whose families cannot afford dowry.

When court annulled a 10-year-old pakadwa vivah

Last month, the Patna High Court annulled the pakadwa vivah of an Indian Army personnel who was kidnapped and forced to marry a woman at gunpoint 10 years ago.

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The complainant, Ravi Kant, a native of Nawada district, was abducted by the bride's family on June 30, 2013, when he was in Lakhisarai to offer prayers at a temple.

Rai was abducted and forced to marry a girl at gunpoint but fled the bride's house without consummating the marriage.

He went to Jammu and Kashmir to resume duty and upon return on leave, moved the family court seeking annulment of the marriage.

But the family court rejected the plea, observing that the complainant became "disbelievable" since he did not "immediately" file the suit for annulment of marriage.

Rai moved the Patna HC against the HC order, and last month, the bench of Justices P B Bajanthri and Arun Kumar Jha annulled the marriage.

The HC noted that there was no delay from the petitioner in seeking the annulment, given the circumstances.

"The petitioner has explained the situation, and there is no undue delay," said the court.

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