An upset bride stormed off and cancelled her wedding after the drunk groom picked the wrong woman – three times.
The event in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh descended into chaos after the groom mistakenly put the ceremonial garland around the bride’s best friend before proceeding to garland a male friend and then an elderly guest.
What followed was a slap, a brawl, an abrupt end to the wedding ceremony, and the groom’s eventual arrest, The Times of India reported.
Ravindra Kumar, 26, had arrived late to his wedding at Naughwa Bhagwantpur village in Bareilly district on Saturday evening. He had reportedly been drinking with his friends before the ceremony.
He had been due to take part in the garland ritual, a tradition in Hindu weddings where the couple exchange a ring of flowers to symbolise their commitment to each other.
However, Mr Kumar mistakenly placed the wreath around the bride’s best friend instead of her. Realising his mistake, Mr Kumar removed it, only to put it on a male friend and then an elderly guest, leaving the attendees in stunned silence.
Enraged by the spectacle, the bride, Radha Devi, 21, slapped Mr Kumar and walked off and cancelled the wedding. This prompted a brawl between the two families, with chairs hurled around before police intervened.
The bride’s family later filed a police complaint, alleging that Mr Kumar’s family had demanded additional dowry despite already taking Rs450,000 (£4000).
Ms Devi’s brother, Omkar Verma, suggested the groom’s family could have orchestrated the drama to humiliate them. He also alleged that Mr Kumar had misrepresented his profession, claiming to be a farmer when he was actually a truck driver.
By 4am, Mr Kumar and his friends were in police custody. A medical test confirmed that he was intoxicated, and a case was registered against him under India’s stringent anti-dowry law. One person was also arrested on suspicion of supplying illicit liquor.
“The groom was intoxicated and misbehaved. His medical examination confirmed he was drunk,” local police officer Harsh Modi, overseeing the case, said.
Despite his family’s pleas to salvage the marriage, Ms Devi refused to reconsider.
