Indian Techie Forced to Marry at Gunpoint (VIDEO)

The incident took place in Pandarak district of Bihar, one of India’s poorest states, where groom kidnapping and forced marriages are part of a waning culture but still resorted to by the poor who cannot afford a lofty dowry for their daughters.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Police in India are investigating an incident of forced marriage after the family of a 29-year-old engineer complained that the man was kidnapped and was forced at gunpoint to marry a woman who was a stranger to him until that moment.

The video wherein the groom is seen sobbing and begging for release while the bride's family tries to convince him to cooperate in the rituals solemnizing the marriage, has gone viral attracting scores of critical comments on social media. 

A 29-year-old Engineer, Vinod Kumar Kidnapped & Forced To Marry A Woman At Gunpoint In Bihar. Even After Marriage Such Men Are Threatened By Girl's Family That He'll Be Booked In Fake Dowry Case If He Tries To Evade From Marriage.Let's Talk About Equality?pic.twitter.com/wbzk1SuOb2

— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) January 6, 2018

​"We are getting your married…we are not hanging you," one of the female relatives of the bride is heard saying in the video.

Vinod Kumar, the victim, has alleged he was kidnapped while he was on his way home after attending a friend's wedding in Islampur. After solemnizing the wedding, the bride's family asked him to inform his parents. It was when his parents came to know about the incident that they approached the police and launched a formal complaint.

Groom kidnapping is usually done by poor families of the upper caste in Bihar who cannot afford a dowry. After identifying a suitable man, the woman's family either hires a criminal gang for the kidnapping or they themselves kidnap the man and give him the option to either marry the woman or get killed. 

According to an estimate in 2016 alone, more than 3000 case of forced marriages were reported in the state of Bihar.