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Interfaith couple faces protests at registrar office, escorted out safely: Gujarat Police
The couple were unable to register their marriage and were escorted through the city to safety by the Karanj police.
Apart from the protest by the VHP outside the office, some lawyers also protested because the woman allegedly wore robes similar to those used by lawyers to disguise herself, said DCP Rathod.
AN INTERFAITH couple from Gandhinagar, who earlier approached the Gujarat High Court (HC) seeking police protection to get married, faced protests by right-wing organisations when they reached the registrar’s office at Gheekanta in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, police said.
According to the police, the incident took place on Tuesday morning, when a number of persons – allegedly associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) – protested outside the office of the marriage registrar while the man and woman were inside the premises to sign the papers. A police team reached the spot and brought the situation under control.
The couple were unable to register their marriage and were escorted through the city to safety by the Karanj police. Karanj Inspector P H Bhati said, “The woman’s parents, along with some others, protested outside the Registrar’s office. There was no violence. We detained some of the protesters to maintain law and order. They were released a few hours later. We escorted the couple away from the premises till it was safe for them to proceed on their own way.”
Bharatkumar Rathod, DCP (Zone-2) said, “The HC had asked police in Gandhinagar to provide protection to the couple. Our job today was to ensure that the woman gets safe passage and so when the protests took place, we escorted her wherever she wanted to go and she gave a statement to the police that she was going of her own accord.”
Another police officer also confirmed to The Indian Express that the woman had refused to go home with her parents.
Apart from the protest by the VHP outside the office, some lawyers also protested because the woman allegedly wore robes similar to those used by lawyers to disguise herself, said DCP Rathod.
The Indian Express also spoke to the police in Gandhinagar regarding the HC order on police protection for the couple. However, inspector V R Chaudhari said his team had not provided protection to the couple as it was outside his jurisdiction. “The HC had asked us to provide protection to them but they wanted to register their marriage at Gheekanta in Ahmedabad, which is outside our jurisdiction.”
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However, another police station in Gandhinagar is also involved in this matter. Its Inspector said, “The woman’s parents gave an application around two months ago that their daughter (an adult) had gone ‘missing’. We made a diary entry of the same.”
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