Man Kidnaps Woman In Rajasthan, Carries Her Around Fire To Enact Wedding

A 23-year-old woman in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district was kidnapped, taken to a deserted area and then forced to participate in a 'wedding ritual' by a man, who was angry that his engagement with her had been called off. 

In a video of the June 1 incident that has now gone viral, the man, Pushpendra Singh, can be seen carrying the screaming and protesting woman around a small fire he had lit to enact the Hindu wedding ritual of seven circumambulations. The man made and circulated the video to defame the woman and her family, and claim that she was now married to him. 

Police have rescued the woman and Pushpendra has been arrested.

The video sparked strong reactions from Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal and the Bharatiya Janata Party, who called for an investigation and strict action against the accused.

Police said Pushpendra was engaged to be married to the woman, but the family had called off the wedding. When the accused found out that the woman was going to marry another man on June 12, he and some other men started going to the house of the woman's family and threatening them.

When that did not work, Pushpendra abducted the woman, enacted the wedding ritual and shared the video to defame the woman and her family. The video also shows a woman, who is a relative of both Pushpendra and the victim, looking on as the 'ritual' takes place. 

The victim's family protested in front of the collector's office demanding the arrest of the man's relatives and friends who were involved in the crime. "We acted as soon as we got the information. The woman was rescued and the main accused has been arrested. The woman's statement will be taken and the investigation will proceed accordingly," said Jaisalmer Deputy Superintendent of Police Kailash Bishnoi

Stating that the incident was "shocking and frightening", Ms Maliwal tweeted in Hindi, "According to media reports, this video is from Jaisalmer. The reports state a woman was kidnapped and taken to a deserted area where a fire was lit and she was married against her wishes. This is a very shocking and frightening incident. @AshokGehlot please get the matter investigated and ensure action is taken."

BJP MP Col Rajyavardhan Rathore said that the video shows that "jungle raj" continues in Rajasthan under Congress rule.