No biryani for dinner, wedding turns into war zone in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: Food can make or break an event. And, a wedding meant to celebrate a new beginning went spectacularly off the rails after a late-night argument over biryani, or rather a lack thereof, exploded into a violent family clash involving knives and iron ladles.

The bride, 23, who had travelled from Delhi with her family for the May 12 wedding, ended up spending the night at a police station, accusing the groom and five others of attacking her relatives after guests complained that pulao, and not biryani, was served at dinner.

According to the bride’s complaint, she and her family were staying near the marriage hall in Kubernagar. The engagement ceremony was held on May 10, followed by the wedding rituals the next evening.

Trouble began brewing during a pre-wedding dinner when guests objected to the pulao being served. They also allegedly created a ruckus on it “not being prepared properly”, the complainant stated. A heated exchange followed, but relatives allegedly managed to calm things down.

A few hours later, however, tempers flared again. The bride alleged that around 1 am, the groom, his brother and several others arrived at the hall where her family members were staying and restarted the argument over the food issue.

According to the complaint, the groom’s side began “hurling filthy abuses” at the bride’s father. The bride told police, “One of the men attacked my father with a knife, injuring his left hand, while another relative, who intervened, suffered a knife wound on her left palm. We all stepped in to separate them.”

As relatives rushed to stop the fight, the marriage venue allegedly turned into a battleground, with pushing, shouting, and scuffles breaking out between members of both families. During the chaos, gold ornaments worn by the bride and her aunt reportedly disappeared.

The injured relatives were rushed to Civil Hospital for treatment before the bride filed a complaint seeking action against the groom and his relatives.

However, the groom’s side has given police a very different version. According to the cross-complaint, police were called to settle the verbal dispute that arose during dinner, and both sides “reached an understanding”.

“However, around 1.30am, the argument allegedly erupted again after the bride’s brother began abusing members of the groom’s family. When relatives attempted to calm him down, the bride’s brother, her father and another man attacked them with kitchen utensils and a sharp weapon. An iron ladle was used to strike the complainant on the head,” stated the complaint.

Three people from the groom’s family also suffered injuries and were taken to Civil Hospital, the complaint stated.

Police have registered complaints from both sides and launched an investigation into the wedding-night showdown.