A teacher married her 13-year-old student in Punjab’s Jalandhar to overcome ‘Manglik dosha’ in her ‘kundli’ (birth chart). The incident was reported in Basti Bawa Khel area of Jalandhar.
The woman told police that her family was worried as she was not getting married due to a ‘Manglik dosha’ pointed out by a priest.
The priest had suggested that she will have to perform a symbolic marriage with a minor boy to get rid of the ‘dosha’ or deficiency.
The 13-year-old victim, who was a student at the woman’s tuition classes, was chosen to be the groom. The tuition teacher told the boy’s parents that he is required to stay at her home for a week for tuitions.
The incident came to the light when the boy returned home and narrated the incident to the family. The matter was immediately reported to the Basti Bawa Khel Police Station by the victim’s parents.
The complaint said that the teacher and her family members forcibly performed marriage rituals including a haldi-mehndi ceremony and ‘suhagrat’ (wedding night). Later, the teacher was declared a widow by breaking her bangles. The family even organised a condolence meeting to complete the suggested rituals.
The victim’s family also told the police that the boy was compelled to perform chores during the illegal confinement.
Investigations have revealed that after the complaint, the accused teacher reached the police station and tried to hush up the matter. The victim’s family was forced to withdraw the complaint under pressure from the accused woman.
Station House Officer of Basti Bawa Khel Police Station Gagandeep Singh Sekhon has confirmed that the police had received the complaint but the same was later withdrawn following a compromise between the two parties.
However, senior police officers have taken serious note of the incident and have ordered a probe. DSP Jalandhar Gurmeet Singh said the matter is under investigation as the boy is a minor and keeping him in confinement was illegal.
No action has been taken against the accused teacher and her parents so far.
