Bajrang Dal activists forcibly marry off couple on Valentine's

A 19-year-old woman was Thursday allegedly married off forcibly by a group of people at a park here, even as 74 Bajrang Dal activists were taken into preventive custody for staging demonstrations in the city protesting Valentine's Day celebrations, police said.

The young woman, a BTech first-year student, was allegedly forced to tie the knot with her distant relative at the park in Medchal by six people, who also filmed the act and posted it on social media, they said.

However, a spokesperson of the Bajrang Dal denied involvement of its members and police also clarified that the group was not associated with the outfit.

The woman's father after seeing the video on his mobile which was forwarded by one of his relatives initially went to his daughter's college and found that she had not turned up and later went to the park before approaching police.

During the course of investigation, it was found that the group restrained them and behaved "indecently".

They forced them to get married by providing nuptial thread as they presumed that they were lovers and also videographed the "marriage", a senior police official said.

The video has gone viral on social media.

Based on the complaint of the woman's father, a case under IPC sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (registered a case of assault with an intent to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) was registered and the six people were taken into custody, police said.

Earlier, 74 Bajrang Dal workers were taken into preventive custody at two separate places in the city when they tried to take out rallies without permission, they said.

Kailash S, a representative of Bajrang Dal, said the organisation members staged protests in the city to protest against the celebration of Valentine's day.

Raising slogans, the protesters demanded that Valentine's Day celebrations be stopped and also burnt effigies of Valentine.

Bajrang Dal had called upon managements of pubs, bars, restaurants and resorts not to organise events to celebrate the day.

Similarly, another group of protesters allegedly ransacked a hotel in Miryalguda town.