In a bizarre "murder pact" that shocked tourists and bystanders, a couple — the girl is Muslim, boy Hindu — slashed each other's throats with blades on Wednesday afternoon as they were out at the Taj Nature Walk, metres away from the monument of love.
The staff of the divisional forest office rushed the couple to the SN Medical College hospital, where they are believed to be critical. Rajveer Singh, 25, a resident of Dehradun, and Shabnam Ali from Karbala in Agra, were frustrated at their respective families refusing to accept their relationship. Barely able to speak, Singh told additional city magistrate MP Singh, who reached the hospital to record the statement of the lovers, that they had to take the drastic step in utter frustration.
Religion stood in their way
"Both Shabnam and I tried hard to convince our parents that they should allow us to get married, but the boundaries of religion remained the biggest hurdle," Rajveer told the magistrate. "We did this after failing at all possible ways to be together. We couldn't get our respective parents to meet each other, even getting spiritual leaders and relatives to intervene didn't help." It was after guards in the Taj's vicinity saw the young couple lying in a pool of blood that an alarm went off and they were rushed to hospital in an official's car. The girl, in light blue jeans and a dark blue top which had turned red with blood, was still holding the hand of her lover when they were taken inside the operation theater. Singh, himself struggling with the pain, tried to calm her, doctors said, fearing for the worst.
Finally, the girl's relatives gave in
In the evening the girl's relatives, who reached the hospital on hearing the news, told doctors that they were willing to get the two married, "just that Singh is unemployed", a version Rajveer rubbished. By evening, though, police said they were all set to lodge an FIR of attempt to murder against the two of them.
(Originally published in the Times of India)
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