'Why can't two girls get married in India?'

Ask two lesbian lovers as they go in hiding to escape their families' wrath

RAJNI and Sunitha are not just names. They are in the process of becoming exemplary figures for those seeking same sex unions.

The two Delhi girls aged 20 and 21 years respectively chose to go ahead with their decision to join each other in matrimony despite stiff opposition from their respective families and friends. The couple got married in a civil court on August 11 and got their certificate on August 16.


Together: Family members of Rajni have alleged that Sunitha runs a
sex racket and she had lured girls by offering them marriage earlier too.
However, Rajni claimed that she married Sunitha out of her own free will.

However, things got ugly when the matter became public and Rajni's family threatened to kill them for the fear of public shame. Rajni and Sunitha approached the Mayur Vihar police station, seeking protection but by that time Rajni's family members and some colony residents had also reached there.

The cops had to put the couple in the lock up to "ensure their safety".
Both of them have left for an undisclosed location. When MiD DAY contacted Sunitha over the phone, she refused to tell where she was as the cops had asked the couple to keep their whereabouts secret for their own safety.

"I met Rajni while working for a private firm. Both of us became instant friends and developed a liking for each other. She used to take care of me and we decided to get married only after a month of being together," Sunitha told MiD DAY over the phone.

"It was a very tough decision. We knew nobody will support us. Rajni's family will never accept the fact that we love each other and want to live together. However, my family will not pose any problems. We will have to live in hiding for some time but then we were sort of prepared for it," she said.

Rajni said she had been regularly tortured by her family after she was made to abort her four-month foetus by her mom. She had borne the child out of a love affair with a boy from her area. But she refused to share details of it.

"My family used to beat me regularly. Now, I am with Sunitha and have left everybody behind. Though I am scared for my life but I am not going to back out now. I know people would try to put all sorts of allegations against us, but then we are ready to face anything," said a defiant Rajni.

However, Rajni's family claimed that Sunitha had been running a sex racket and lured young girls into her trap by marrying them.

"I am sure she will sell off my daughter. She (Sunitha) dresses like a guy with a rum bottle in her pocket, a handkerchief tied around her forehead. I can't allow my daughter to go away with a girl like her," said Prawesh, Rajni's mother.

The police told MiD DAY that they will do everything to ensure that the couple remains safe.
"There is no case or complaint but since the couple has sought protection we have asked them to keep their whereabouts a secret. The concerned police station would provide protection to them. Rajni's mother had lodged a missing's complaint but she appeared at the police station with Sunitha," said a senior police official.