Intercommunity marriage raises controversy in Pauri Garhwal after a marriage invitation card goes viral !

A marriage invitation card in Pauri Garhwal is going viral in social media these days and becoming a hot issue of discussion in entire Uttarakhand, especially in social media. This has happened for the first time in Uttarakhand’s history that the parents of both the bride and bridegroom have agreed to the marriage of a Hindu Garhwali girl and a Muslim boy and the father of the daughter from Pauri Garhwal has literally printed an invitation card in a traditional fashion mentioning names of every relative on it including bride and bridegroom obviously disclosing their names and caste of the parents etc sending to invitees. When one of the invitation card was posted in Social Media, all hell broke with this marriage being opposed tooth and nail, virtually by majority people with some terming it a personal affair with mutual consent having the legal sanction. Kindly recall that in Uttarakhand there had been rumours in the past about some girls having allegedly eloped with the boys of other communities, especially minority and some had even been allegedly converted to other religion but with the free consent of the girl after marriage with some charging/ blaming about alleged forced conversion. However, in this latest case it’s for the very first time that the father of the girl has shown an open heart and amicably agreed to his daughter’s wish to marry her with her lover who happened to be from the minority community as both are not only adult and legally tenable to marry each other as per law but also educated, having fall into love while pursuing their B – TECH from Rookie where their mutual love affair bloomed. Happening this in Uttarakhand for the first time, however is being considered as ” all hell broke out” . Instead of clandestinely formalising their marriage, the father who is a politician, former MLA from Pauri and Nagarpalika chairman twice Yashpal Benam preferred to formalise it in an arranged way going against the tradition with a brave affectionate heart for his loving daughter. One of the media man who talked to his father confirmed having printed the invitation card and going for the arranged marriage of his daughter with a Muslim boy in the last week of May mutually and amicably, waiting for the response of the people. Kindly recall that Yashpal Benam is an MA in political Science in 1992 from Gopal Reddy Sangathak University and MJ from Bidla Sangathak Garhwal University having a case or two lodged against him in the past. According to the latest news the boy and girl were studying in a college in Roorkee pursuing B Tech where both fell in love, finally agreeing to marry each other. The father of the bride Yashpal Benam hails from Bhartiya Janata Party and is currently the chairman from Pauri, Nagarpalika. The boy hails from Amethi, the traditional Gandhi family stronghold the parliamentary constituency being currently represented by union minister Smriti Irani. However, the law never forbids a boy and a girl above 18 years to go for marriage constitutionally. In India there had been such intercaste and inter community marriages going on and even in several cases sons and daughters of various political leaders have married their partners of minority and majority communities amicably especially in affluent families. The marriage is to be solemnised at Ghurdari Pauri Garhwal banquet Hall mentions the invitation card from the bride’s side. Meanwhile, a senior journalist , usually active in social media and well known rather entangled in controversy for his outspoken views Rajiv Nayan Bahuguna and one Yashpal Negi, a retired Army officer had personally and publicly through social media congratulated the bride’s father for entertaining his daughter’s wish to marry her friend hailing from minority community though it’s a hard fact that majority are against the move expressing their adverse comments in social media. This being a sensitive issue there is till now no comment coming forth from political leaders of any party for or against which is a good sign to maintain peace and harmony in the state.