Sisters refuse to marry after dowry demand, march to police station in wedding attire

Agra: With wedding music still echoing in the background and mehndi fresh on their hands, two sisters from Hathras walked out of their own weddings — and into a police station — still dressed in bridal finery over a last-minute dowry demand that turned violent.

A case was registered on Thursday under multiple sections, including 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, against two grooms and their relatives, following the stand taken by Shivani Bhatt (23) and Bharti Bhatt (24), daughters of Sunil Kumar Bhatt of Samadpur village in Hathras.

The sisters were to marry two brothers, Mohit Kumar (25) and Narayan Kumar (27), from Tajpur village in the district on April 14. As the baraat arrived around 7 pm, the celebrations were in full swing. But during the ‘Dwarpuja' ceremony, the grooms' father allegedly demanded a car in addition to the previously agreed dowry of ₹6 lakh.

Sunil Bhatt refused, saying everything promised had already been given. The refusal sparked a heated argument, which quickly escalated. The grooms' elder brother allegedly pushed one of the brides' brothers, triggering a violent clash. Several people were injured, including the brides' brother who suffered a head wound, and their 7-year-old sister who sustained a grievous injury to her hand.

"The house was full of joy, and we were waiting in our wedding dress. But when we found out our brother was bleeding and our little sister was injured, we knew we couldn't go through with it. We're not going back," said Shivani.

DSP Himanshu Mathur said, "Both families belong to farming backgrounds. We tried to intervene but to no avail. Eventually, a case was registered and further action will follow."