My parents, brother may kill us, says Amritsar woman in ‘viral’ video

Screengrab taken from Facebook video

A video uploaded online by an Amritsar woman who eloped with her brother-in-law, in which she says their lives may be in danger as her family was against the relationship, has gone viral. The police said Rittu Bala, 22, of Abdala Sohi village in Amritsar district had eloped with her brother-in-law Sarwan Kumar alias Happy, on September 15. The police had registered a case of kidnapping against Sarwan Kumar, his brother Pappy and mother Channo at Kathunangal police station based on a complaint from Bala’s family.

In the video, Bala claims she had gone with Happy willingly. She also blamed her family — father Kuldeep Singh, mother Sita and brother Ishwar Singh — for not allowing her to marry Happy and added that her family may kill her. She says, “I am making this statement with a conscious mind. My father, Kuldeep Singh, may do everything possible to prove this wrong. But I am under no pressure. I had warned Happy that I would die if he didn’t come and take me along with him. I and Happy caught a train from Batala on September 15. No relative or friend of Happy was involved in this. My family knew that I loved Happy.”

She added, “My parents and brother have threatened to kill me and Happy if they find us. My parents, brother Ishar Singh and his wife Jyoti will be responsible if anything happens to us. I appeal you to take strict action in case anything happens to me and Happy. My father has been harassing relatives of Happy. We have also been threatened. If we commit suicide under pressure, even then my parents would be responsible for it.”

Advertisement

When contacted, her father Kuldeep Singh said, “I have seen the video. She is under pressure. Sarwan Kumar may have forced her to make such a video and statement. Sarwan Kumar has been married to my elder daughter, Nittu Bala, for nine years. The couple had no children and Sarwan Kumar had been putting pressure on me to allow him to marry Rittu Bala. But we were against this. Nittu Bala is now five months’ pregnant. She has been staying with us after Sarwan Kumar lured and kidnapped Rittu Bala.”

The investigating officer in the case, Sukhchain Singh, said the police were trying to trace the couple.