Santosh Kumar from Bihar became a national attention when he revealed his story of his forced marriage on the Aamir Khan hosted TV Show Satyamev Jayate. He was kidnapped by the Family of Bride and forced to marry her.
He was identified as a good prospective husband for Ruby Devi, whose father found a simple way of bypassing the dowry demands
Santosh was kidnapped from his village, forced to undergo the marriage rites, and locked in a room with his bride. Â It has been 14 years. Ruby and Santosh are happy together, and have two children.
[vsw id=”U-Oyb2oSE2Q” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]
Such forcible marriages are common in Bihar, says Santosh Kumar, and they are known as Pakadwah Byaah  (Groom Kidnapping)
The pressure of providing a lavish wedding and meeting the demands of the groom’s family have led the families of some girls to take drastic measures.
[vsw id=”U-Oyb2oSE2Q” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]
Groom kidnapping, colloquially known as Pakaruah shaadi or Jabaria shaadi, is a phenomenon common in parts of Bihar, and eastern Uttar Pradesh states in India, wherein eligible bachelors are abducted by the bride’s family and later forcefully married, to avoid heavy dowry costs. Considering the traditional regard for the marriage sacrament, most such marriages are not annulled. Additionally, the groom may suffer criminal charges under Indian dowry law, and end up fighting lengthy legal battles.
The practice started becoming noticeable towards the late 20th century, as dowry costs became prohibitive and organized gangs came forward to carry out the abductions.In 2009,1224 kidnappings for marriage were reported in Bihar, carried out on behalf of the families of the brides.