Uttar Pradesh: Missing sisters return Muzaffarnagar home with a twist no one saw coming

In Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, two cousin sisters who had gone missing from their families earlier returned home after several days with a twist straight out of a Bollywood movie.

According to an Amar Ujala report, the missing sisters returned dressed as bride and groom respectively and declared that they had married each other and now wished to live together.

Here’s what happened:

Two sisters went missing from their homes in neighbouring Muzaffarnagar villages. However, the father of one of the girls filed a complaint, fearing for his daughter’s well-being.

In his statement, he had alleged that his daughter was lured away by her cousin, who lived in neighbouring Titawi village, expressing suspicion that his daughter might “have been sold” somewhere.

The complaint reached Lucknow, following which the police launched an investigation.

The twist in the story

According to Amar Ujala, Lucknow police were able to contact the missing girl and assured her that she would be given security if she came forward.

On August 7, the two girls walked into the police station. One was reportedly dressed as a groom, while the other had sindoor (vermillion) in her hair’s parting.

Their relatives were present when the pair arrived at the police station.

The girls said that they had been in love with each other for over a year and had decided to spend the rest of their lives together. Therefore, they said, they got married in a temple before coming to the police station.

According to the report, the younger of the two is now living as a boy and has completed Class 12, while the ‘bride’ sister studied until Class 10.

The girls also assured their family and the police that they took a long time to talk things out and “developed an understanding” before making the decision to be together.

The girl said that earlier they were “sisters”, but now they consider themselves “companions”.

Relatives tried to persuade the girls to return home and urged them to reconsider their decision, but they refused to change their minds.

Police then escorted them away from the station to ensure their safety.

Same-sex marriage is not legally recognised in India. However, in 2018, the Supreme Court struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalising consensual same-sex relationships.