Couples from different states tie knot at mass wedding

Brides and grooms from two different states met in Surat, Gujarat, to take part in a mass wedding to correct the skewed sex ratio and prevent the collection of dowry.

The mass wedding was organised by the All India Patidar Samaj.

"This wedding has been organised so that girls from Odisha do not have to give dowry in their state during weddings and boys from Gujarat also get their partners as there are less number of girls in Gujarat. To create this balance, the wedding has been organised," said organiser of the mass wedding, Mathur Bhai Savani.

Girls in Odisha said they have to give dowry in weddings and families do not have money to cater to huge demands from groom's family side.

Meanwhile, boys informed about skewed sex ration in Gujarat state following which they were finding difficulty in getting a suitable match for them.

"There is dearth of girls in our place that is why I am getting married to a girl from Odisha," said a groom, Vikram Korat.

The dwindling numbers of girls, caused by the illegal abortion of millions of babies, has reached "emergency proportions", fuelling an increase in crimes such as kidnapping and trafficking, according to the United Nations.