Lucknow, Oct 20 (Inditop.com) She could be old enough to be his grandmother. But for 22-year-old Mahaveer Kumar age was no bar when he married a 60-year-old widow in Uttar Pradesh, police said Tuesday.
Residents of Sakran village in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district, about 80 km from here, were taken aback Monday evening when Kumar accepted Janaki Devi as his wife.
“The marriage was a low-key affair, without any pomp and show. It was performed at a village temple,” Shiv Bahadur, a local, told Inditop on the telephone.
“After garlanding each other, Kumar made a cut on his palm with a razor and then applied his blood, like sindoor (vermillion), in the parting of her hair. We could not forget the scene,” he added.
According to locals, Janaki Devi lost her husband three years ago. After his death, her four sons used to ill-treat her and forced her to work as a labourer in the village.
Janaki Devi met Kumar at one of the construction sites and started sharing her problems with him.
“Gradually, Kumar developed a soft spot for her (Janaki Devi) and used to assist her financially. When on Monday, her sons forced her to leave home, Kumar came to her rescue and publicly announced he would accept her as his wife,” said Niketan Kumar, another villager.
The couple had to face stiff opposition from their family members after the marriage and therefore sought help from the police.
“Apprehending threat from their families, they have sought help from us. Legally, no one can challenge their marriage as they are adults,” police inspector Ishtiaq Ahmad told Inditop.
