Bride Collapses And Dies At Her Wedding, Groom Marries Her Sister In India’s UP

A young Indian bride died during her wedding ceremony, following which her sister was made to step in and marry the groom.

The bizarre incident took place earlier this week in Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district when Surabhi suddenly fell unconscious beside Manjesh Kumar just before the final ceremony of "pheras," which is a part of a Hindu wedding tradition, reported DNA.

According to a doctor, she died from a cardiac arrest. The bride's fatal heart attack created chaos in the house. But later, with the mutual consent of both the families, a marriage proposal was offered to the bride's younger sister Nisha.

"We did not know what to do in the situation. Both the families sat together and someone suggested that my younger sister Nisha should be married to the groom," Surabhi’s brother Saurabh said. "The families discussed the matter and both agreed. The body of Surabhi was kept in one room, while the marriage of the groom with Nisha was held and after the ‘baraat’ left, Surabhi’s last rites were conducted," he added.

Nisha gave her consent due to the situation. After this, the festivities continued even though the atmosphere was a gloomy one.

"It was a tough call for our family. One daughter lay dead in one room and the wedding of another daughter was being solemnized in the other room. We have never witnessed such mixed emotions. The grief over her death and the happiness of the wedding have yet to sink in," said Surabhi’s uncle Ajab Singh.

Surabhi was later cremated.

According to Daily Mail, there were probably several factors that could explain the families' decision to continue with the wedding ceremony. One of them was that the groom's family would likely have been expecting a dowry. The other was that the family would have wanted to avoid the stigma of going home from a marriage ceremony without a bride.

The bride's mother, Guddi Devi, got emotional and appealed for the marriage to go ahead. Her son, Saurabh, is now taking care of her. "Mummy is in a lot of pain. She calls for her day in and day out as she was the eldest daughter. She had dreamed of doing wonders in her life. May she rest in peace," he said.