Couple stream wedding live on FB to counter kidnapping claim

Tumakuru: A couple who got married against their parents’ wishes has used Facebook to document their “proof of consent”. Despite strong opposition from the girl's family Anjana, 19, and Kiran, 25, who live in Madhugiri, Tumakuru, uploaded a video of their nuptials and a statement that theirs was a true union.

“I knew my parents would oppose the idea of marrying someone from another caste, but I did not know that they would go to any extent to keep him away from me,” says Anjana. Despite strong opposition from Anjana’s family, the two were determined to live together.

Worried that their families would file a police complaint claiming that the bride had been kidnapped and forced into marriage, the newly-weds turned to social media and hope that the video would serve as proof if their parents were to register a case of kidnapping.

Anjana’s father, Thimmaraju, a JD(S) leader in Tumakuru district’s Madhugiri, was hell bent on separating her from Kiran, since he belonged to the Adivasi community. The two had been dating for a few years, and decided to elope after Anjana’s father threatened to file a police complaint against Kiran.

Anjana and Kiran Anjana, a second-year B.Com student, and Kiran, a businessman, tied the knot at a temple in North Bengaluru’s Hesarghatta on Friday.

However, the girl’s father went ahead and registered a missing person’s complaint with the Madhugiri police. The police are waiting to record Anjana’s statement as she is not a minor. The couple has gone into hiding until they are assured they won't be separated.