On Monday, 23-year-old Neha Makkad, was all set to tie the knot. The preparations for the wedding had been on for months. But given the situation in Rohtak, the epicentre of the Jat reservation riots, it didn’t seem like it would happen.
Neha’s family did not dare to venture out and make it to the wedding venue which was just a few kilometres away. Time was running out and no one came to their aid, not even the police.
But then she got an escort that no one would dare mess with, reports the Times of India. A column from the Gorkha Rifles.
Shielding them away from all the violence, the soldiers accompanied Neha and her family to a gurdwara and stood guard outside while the marriage was conducted.
The Commanding Officer of 3/5 Gorkha Rifles, Col Suraj Chambiyal, told TOI:
“Major Aman Kumar, who had already spent 24 hours in the area, had developed a bond with the locals. On Monday, the Makkad family approached our column. So, on humanitarian grounds, the column under Maj Kumar escorted the family to the gurdwara.“
The groom, Gaurav, was also grateful to the Army and said that while his shop had been burnt down by rioters he was happy that his wedding wasn’t put off due to the riots.