Bihar: A teacher was kidnapped on her way to school, beaten and forced into marriage at gunpoint

Avnish Kumar, who recently cleared the Bihar Public Service Commission exam to become a teacher, was on his way to work on Friday when two Scorpios intercepted him. Dozens of unknown attackers emerged from the vehicles, waving rifles in his direction. Within hours, Avneesh was kidnapped, beaten, and forced to marry a woman with whom he was accused of having an affair for four years.

This incident adds to the growing number of ‘Pakadu Vivah’ cases in Bihar, where unmarried men are being forced into marriage at gunpoint. According to police reports, 2024 witnessed the highest number of forced marriages in the past three decades.

Avnish Kumar, son of Sudhakar Rai and resident of Rajora in Begusarai district, was kidnapped by relatives of Gunjan, a woman from Lakhesarai district. Avneesh and Gunjan were reportedly in a relationship that lasted four years. However, despite this, Avneesh, who recently got a government teaching job and was posted in a middle school in Katihar, allegedly refused to marry her.

Gunjan claimed that their relationship was serious, with frequent stays in hotels and spending time together at Avneesh’s residence in Katihar.

“He promised to marry me and start a family,” Gunjan claimed. “He also took me to his school. We were in love for four years. But when I told my family about it, and we asked him to marry me, he refused. This was unacceptable.”

Three days before the incident, Gunjan’s family reportedly found the couple together in Katihar. They then allegedly kidnapped Avneesh and forced him to marry Gunjan in the temple. A viral video captures the traumatic scene, in which Avneesh is held captive by several men while Gunjan, dressed in a wedding sari and wearing vermilion on her forehead, stands aside. Avneesh is visibly upset as he is pressured to perform marriage rituals under duress.

After the forced ceremony, Gunjan accompanied her family to Avneesh’s house in Rajora, but a confrontation ensued. Avneesh managed to escape, and when Wijdan arrived at his home, his family refused to accept her as part of their family.

Gunjan has since filed a complaint with the police, demanding justice for the ordeal.

But Avneesh denied the allegations of having a romantic relationship with Wijdan. “I had no love for that girl,” he claimed. “She harassed me by repeatedly calling and stalking me. On the day of the incident, some men kidnapped me in a Scorpio car while I was on my way to school. They beat me, forcibly put vermilion on me, and tried to perform rituals. He protested the whole time.”

Avneesh also filed a complaint in which he accused the perpetrators of kidnapping and physical assault.