In a bizarre incident, a Tribal man tied the knot with his three girlfriends with whom he had been living in live-in-relationship for 15 years. He married all his three live-in-partners in the same Mandap in the presence of their six children.
The incident is reported in the tribal-dominated Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
42-year-old Samrath Maurya, former sarpanch of Nanpur village in Alirajpur district, married his three partners Naanbai, Mela, and Sakri in the same mandap. He has four children with Nan Bai (33) and a son each with Mela (29) and Sakri (28).
The wedding lasted for three days from April 29 to May 1. The main marriage ritual was performed on April 30.
Maurya eloped with his first live-in partner 15 years ago. Then, he had a second love affair 10 years ago and his third partner fell in love with him four years ago. He had postponed the marriage because of his unstable financial conditions.
“I wasn’t well off when all three live-in relationships began, so I couldn’t convert them into proper wedlock despite having kids from the three relationships. But now we’re in a position to turn the live-in relationships into marriages. Turning the live-in ties into marriages is important as that alone will make us eligible to be part of all auspicious rituals in our family, as well as gain us entry into the temple of our Kul Devi,” the groom said.
Polygamy and live-in relationships are common among Tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh. Our Constitution allows polygamy in tribal communities.
Article 342 of the Indian Constitution – Scheduled Tribes
(1) The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities which shall for the purposes of this Constitution be deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in relation to that State or Union territory, as the case may be
(2) Parliament may by law include in or exclude from the list of Scheduled Tribes specified in a notification issued under clause ( 1 ) any tribe or tribal community or part of or group within any tribe or tribal community, but save as aforesaid a notification issued under the said clause shall not be varied by any subsequent notification.
