Amidts CAB protest several weddings in Guwahati were either called off or had bear the losses of an empty wedding hall
Location: Kamakhya, Maligaon
A newlywed couple along with its family was stuck at Kamakhya Temple for the whole day on Wednesday last as there were protests in the entire city against Citizenship Amendment Bill. The groom’s family left for the temple in the early morning hours and after reaching the wedding rituals started. But they had to wait at the temple till the night to go back to their home as the situation worsened in the city. While the couple had planned to stay at a nearby hotel for a day, their stay extended for another 2 days due the ongoing violence in the nearby areas. Finally, after two days the bride was taken to the groom’s house in the early morning hours and the remaining ceremonies were carried out. Also, their reception was cancelled keeping in mind the situation in the city, said Nabajit Dhar, the groom, who is a resident of Rehabari.
Location: Lalganesh
Horipod Roy, a resident of Bishnupur said that 11th December was a day which one can never forget in Guwahati.
“I was very excited about my daughter’s marriage but a lot of arrangements had still not been completed till the wedding day as everything was decided in a hurry due to my wife’s ill health which was deteriorating day by day. On Wednesday, we were heading towards the Bibah Bhawan at around 4: 30 PM with my daughter who was looking beautiful in her wedding dress. But what came as shock was that when we were on our way, a group of protestors came and started vandalizing our vehicle and we were told to go back. We were scared but after a lot of struggle, my daughter was finally dropped off at the Bhawan and I carried all the necessary items in a bicycle so that there wouldn’t be any problems.
“As all the shops were closed, I had to travel a fair distance on the bicycle to buy sweets. No sweet shop was ready to open but eventually I somehow managed to get the sweets from one shop after a lot of request.
“The wedding took place at Urili Bibah Bhawan in Lalganesh and went off peacefully but there were no guests at the wedding which resulted in wastage of food. Also, as there was no vehicle, the priest walked from Rehabari till Lalganesh and also walked back in the morning after the marriage ceremony was over. I’m personally very thankful to the people who were there with me on that very day,” said Horipod while speaking to G Plus.
Location: Kalapahar
On 12th of December, another marriage in Kalapahar area of Guwahati saw a lot of wastage. More than 300 guests were invited but due to apprehensions among the people amidst the protests and vandalism across city, no one came to the wedding. Anurag Chakraborty, a relative of the groom said that as no guests came to the Bibah Bhawan, all the food that was prepared got wasted. It was a huge loss as a lot of arrangements had been made.
Further, three wingers were booked for the day so that people could go back to their hotels after the marriage but except one, the other two did not show up. On being asked about not arriving, the drivers said that they feared their vehicles would be vandalized and therefore they couldn’t come. Eventually, the entire families and relatives of both the groom and the bride side walked from Jonaki Bibah Bawan in Kalapahar to a hotel in Lalganesh.
Location: Maligaon
Moon Das a resident from Maligaon area told G Plus that on Wednesday her niece’s wedding was called off as the groom and his entire family was stuck at the Guwahati Railway Station. The groom’s family had come from Tezpur and after reaching Guwahati they were not allowed to move out of the station. They were told that it was very risky to go out and they would end up injuring themselves as a huge procession was being taken out in the Panbazar area.
After waiting for a long time, the family called off the wedding and started preparing to return.
Since almost all major trains were cancelled for the day, the groom’s family had to stay at the railway station for another day and the family, after spending more than 30 hours, left for Tezpur on the next train that was available. Currently, both the families are trying to get a suitable date and by next year the marriage will take place, said Moon.
Location: Ganeshguri
Another incident came to light in Ganeshguri area where a group of protestors vandalized a marriage pandal on Wednesday and destroyed everything. Dipul Bora, a guest who went to attend the wedding, said that the situation was very bad in the entire locality. The guests who had come to attend the wedding couldn’t go out of the pandal. The protestors came with big bamboo sticks and destroyed everything that came in their way and also all the protestors were drunk. This came as a big shock to the groom’s father as he got a heart attack at that very moment and was somehow taken to hospital in that pitiable situation.
