Spat over Rs 40,000 Chandni Chowk bridal lehenga breaks up marriage in Haryana

The groom's family claimed that the bride's family had initially settled to buy a Rs 20,000 lehenga before requesting that they opt for a more expensive alternative. (Representational image: Unsplash)

A disagreement over a wedding lehenga eventually led to the cancellation of a marriage in Haryana's Panipat recently. As the conflict between the families escalated, a relative reportedly drew a sword prompting others to call the police.

According to reports, the incident happened on February 23 when the groom arrived from Amritsar with his wedding party only to have the bride’s family object to the lehenga they bought. The bride's family insisted she wear the one they bought from Chandni Chowk in Delhi for Rs 40,000 because they did not like the lehenga offered by the groom's family.

In an interview to ETV Bharat, the groom's family claimed that the bride’s relatives placed a lot of demands on them which only kept increasing. They had initially settled on buying a Rs 20,000 lehenga for the bride before requesting that they opt for a more expensive garment. Moreover, the groom's side also claimed that the bride’s family pressured them into the marriage and demanded expensive gifts.

On the other hand, the bride's mother, a widow who was reportedly struggling to make ends meet, accused the groom’s family of failing to provide even the basic essentials such as garlands and alleged that they brought fake jewellery instead of real gold.

The conflict turned violent as a guest pulled out a sword. The police had to intervene to de-escalate the situation before the wedding was officially called off, the Times of India reported.

"They have cancelled the wedding. We have heard from both parties. Our task is to pacify the matter and hand over the victims to the concerned police station who will again hear both parties and resolve the matter," a police officer told ETV Bharat.