Chaos at Azamgarh wedding after woman arrives with police; bride and groom marry and flee amid stone-pelting

A dramatic situation unfolded late Friday during a wedding ceremony in Patwadh Kautuk slum under the Bilriyaganj police station area in Azamgarh after a woman arrived at the venue along with police personnel, claiming she had been in a long-term relationship with the groom and demanding that the marriage be stopped immediately. By the time police reached the wedding venue, the marriage rituals had reportedly already been completed. According to reports, both the bride and groom fled the scene amid the chaos, leaving guests shocked. The situation escalated further when some members of the wedding party allegedly started pelting stones at police officers present at the venue. Police personnel later managed to escort the complainant woman away safely and informed Bilriyaganj police officials about the incident. Azamgarh CO (Sagadi) Anil Kumar Verma said on Saturday that five individuals had been detained from the wedding venue following the complaint lodged by the woman who sought police help to stop the marriage. He added that further action would depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation. During the initial investigation, police found that the bride, a resident of Patwadh Kautuk, was engaged to Brijesh Kumar, a resident of Gadhwal village who reportedly works abroad. The wedding procession had arrived on Friday evening, and celebrations and rituals were underway when another woman from a village under the Raunapar police station area arrived at the venue accompanied by police personnel. She alleged that the groom had been in a relationship with her for a long time and had promised to marry her, triggering a heated confrontation between both families. According to the bride's family, all wedding rituals had already been completed before the dispute erupted. They stated that the marriage had been fixed around one-and-a-half years ago and that the couple had also completed a court marriage earlier. The family said the ceremony was being held now because the groom had recently returned home on leave from abroad. The bride's family further claimed that the same woman had visited their home three days earlier and allegedly threatened to stop the wedding. They said the groom's family had been informed about the matter at the time and had assured them that there would be no problem. [With TOI inputs]