Tribune News Service

PATIALA: Harassment and blackmail of husbands and their relatives in Marriage Disputes by misuse of Anti-Dowry law (Sec. 498A of IPC), Domestic Violence Act 2005 and related laws by wives is very hot topics these days. Most of the time, 498A is misused by wives but this case is different.

US, Philadelphia-based, NRI Gurpreet Singh, and his parents, Bhajan Singh and Harjeet Kaur were arrested by the Patiala police after the girl's family filed a police complaint for demanding a dowry of Rs. 50 lakh just before the start of the marriage ceremony. The 'baraat' had come from Kaddon village near Doraha in Ludhiana.

The parents of the bride decided to call off the wedding before the ceremony began. Their last minute demand for dowry of Rs. 50 lakh shocked the bride's father Gurbachan Singh. Gurbachan Singh pleaded before Bhajan Singh that the amount is too much and he asked for time but Bhajan Singh became angry and said that the ceremony of "Anand Karaj" will be performed only after they will receive the Rs. 50 lakh. According to the police report, the parents of the groom Gurpreet Singh said their son was earning Rs 7 lakh a month and they could not take their daughter to the US "just like that."

This conversation led to arguments, scuffle and turned into a free-for-all fight between the bride and bridegroom's sides. Groom and his family were given a sound thrashing at the Chahal Marriage Palace. The Civil Lines Police station has registered the case u/s 406, 498-A of IPC and sec ¾ of Dowry Act.

The bride's family alleged that the they had already spent a lot of money on the groom and his relatives and on making arrangements for the wedding. Amitoj Kaur, the bride is also MBBS doctor and refused to marry the NRI doctor after the dowry demand was made.