It's not every day that a doctor goes to work and comes back married. Something along these lines was seen in the Bollywood flick starring Akshay Kumar, 'Atrangi Re' where a medico at a health camp was kidnapped and married off to a girl in Bihar. A family from Begusarai district in Bihar literally seems to have taken inspiration from the movie.
On Monday, past midnight Dr Satyam, a veterinarian got a duty call and left home immediately. The very next day his family received a video of the vet getting married to a girl. Which normal family wouldn't be shocked?
However, this is no rare incident for Biharis. 'Pakadwa Vivah' or 'Forced marriage' is quite a common thing in certain parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and might be as old as the states themselves.
The police have begun investigating the case based on the Vet's family's complaint. In their defence, the kidnappers reportedly were only doing the couple a favour, as the vet being a frequent visitor at the bride's home to treat cattle had fallen for her and that their feelings were mutual.
The incident came to public notice owing to the wedding video which is doing rounds on the internet. While the video may be amusing, the root cause for such forced marriages is touted to be the heavy dowries. The catch is that it is not necessarily the dowry seekers who get kidnapped.
As the news is garnering more audience, the doctor community is already feeling the chills. It was one vet the other day, it could be a GP or a dentist or a homoeopath in the coming days. Along with medical education, doctors might have to master skills like escaping kidnaps tactfully and vanishing from gunpoint to save their skins.