Wedding bells on Thursday chimed for the young couple living close to the line of Control (loC) in Nowshera sector of frontier Rajouri district. Only the venue of the marriage reception was unusual.
The relief camp set up by the district administration inside a Government Higher secondary school building for displaced border residents which hosted the families of bride and groom on the auspicious occasion.
Dressed in traditional wedding finery both bride and groom, Pooja Devi and Ashwani Kumar, were escorted by their close relatives in the lawns of the school premises where district authorities had pitched tents to accommodate guests.
As the rituals were being performed to solemnise their marriage as per ‘Hindu’ traditions close relatives, also staying in the relief camp, were seen dancing on the drum beats and celebrating. Ashwani Kumar, is a local farmer and was blessed by senior officers who attended the marriage ceremony. The relief camp is currently providing shelter to over 350 families from forward border villages affected by the frequent shelling along the line of control.
Over two dozen villages have been severely affected due to shelling since May 2017. At least 10 villages suffered maximum brunt of mortar shelling leading to fatal casualties of three civilians.
Sub Divisional Magistrate Harbans lal Sharma told The Pioneer, “both the poor families were putting up in the relief camp in Nowshera after they migrated to safer places at the peak of border tension”. Sharma said, “The brides’ family had approached us to organise basic logistics like ration and tents on the occasion. We decided to provide ration and other essential items so that they could organise a small get together to welcome the groom”.
BJP MlA from Nowshera Ravinder Raina also extended an helping hand and organised ration supplies to allow brides’ family organise post marriage feast in a comfortable manner. After the marriage the groom’s family, also staying in the same relief camp, however, took some risk and went to their native village in the forward area to perform some rituals.
A village elder and former sarpanch Purshottan lal told The Pioneer, “since October 2016 we have been displaced on three occasions due to border tension”. He said the situation was not conducive in the forward areas to host marriage function so we advised both the families to organise the simple ceremony in the relief camp.
SDM Nowshera Harbans lal Sharma claimed these border migrants have been seeking cash assistance on the pattern of Kashmiri migrants from the state govt. He said we have sent a proposal to the office of Deputy Commissioner Rajouri and now he is supposed to take it up further with the state government. He said some of the villagers who made an effort to cultivate their agricultural land suffered loses due to fresh shelling in the civilian pockets.