MITHI: Nagarparkar police foiled an attempt by a young pair to contract a freewill marriage when a large number of people belonging to the Kumbhar community forced them to hand over the woman to them.

Rehana Kumbhar and Faqir Abbas Ali had come to the court of a judicial magistrate to contract a freewill marriage but her relatives used their influence on the police, who handed her over to them before they could appear before the magistrate on Wednesday.

Mr Ali later told the media that some close relatives of Ms Kumbhar broke into his house in Nagarparkar on Tuesday night and went on a rampage to vent their anger over their love affair. He said he somehow managed to bring her to the court the next day to contract a freewill marriage but her relatives forcibly took her away with them from the court.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2014