Amreen and Lokesh

[pokerfan]

Ah, the blessings of religion....

Category: Religion
Posted on: June 21, 2009 11:04 AM, by PZ Myers

It's a sad story. Amreen was Muslim, and Lokesh was Hindu, but these two young people loved each other and got married anyway. Isn't that the way it should be, that religion is something that shouldn't dictate the important matters in your lives? Unfortunately, the other people in their small town of Phaphunda couldn't allow that. The village council met and ordered them to annul the marriage — and their families seem to have felt likewise, that their love had to be destroyed.

So Amreen and Lokesh took poison and killed themselves.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/06/amreen_and_lokesh.php

[struggle4progress]

1. Of course, those who find this an important story will make no effort to try to find the facts here

I have been unable to locate the story in the Indian press. Praphunda is in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh

Community for Phaphund Pincode 206247
http://www.indiastudychannel.com/sites/122896/-Phaphund.aspx

Community for Phaphunda Pincode 245206
http://www.indiastudychannel.com/sites/122897/-Phaphunda.aspx

Home >> India Information >> PIN Code >> Uttar Pradesh
... Phaphunda 245206 ...
http://www.whereincity.com/india/pincode/uttar-pradesh/meerut.htm

http://www.mapsofindia.com/pincode/index.jsp

[struggle4progress]

2. Curiously, there are eerily similar stories from about week earlier

Lovers ostracised, girl ends life
Express News Service
First Published : 16 Jun 2009 04:36:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 16 Jun 2009 11:09:22 AM IST
BALANGIR: ... According to sources Bhagwati and her 22-year-old lover, Narottam Nag, eloped three months back as their parents did not agree to their marriage as they belonged to different castes. After their return to the village some days back, pressure from villagers mounted on both the parents to ostracise their children. At a meeting, the villagers decided to ostracise both and provide a separate dwelling for them on the outskirts of the village, said DSP Laxman Patel. Patel, however, disputed the allegation of the girl’s brother, who accused the boy of coercing his sister to commit suicide. Patel said while Bhagwati belonged to the Sahara caste Narottam was from Gouda, an upper caste. Interestingly the boy’s father Gandaram Bag ... said “Our sanctity would be lost if we allow the girl of Sahara caste to enter our house. Even if we allow, we have to bear the wrath of villagers, who will outcast all the family members later” ... http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Lovers+ostracised,+girl+ends+life&artid=L8lt8VKGbp4=&SectionID=mvKkT3vj5ZA=&MainSectionID=fyV9T2jIa4A=&SectionName=nUFeEOBkuKw=&SEO=

Thu, Jun 11, 2009 10:27:26
Sikh lovers die in police station
A Sikh couple has committed suicide in side a police station in Punjab. The couple deeply in love ran away due to families not agreeing with their relationship, despite neither family formally reporting the couple missing police were cohersed by pressure from the community to search for the couple. Ranjit Kaur, from Baazigar community, and Joga Singh, a Jat Sikh of Punjaba village near Lambi, consumed poison barely hours after they had been detained. While Ranjit died immediately, Joga died later in hospital. Leaving the police shocked into stunned silence on Tuesday when they detained the couple Ranjit, not yet 20 and three-months pregnant, had been married to a Nahianwala villager a month ago, the marriage had broken up and she left home with Joga a few days ago ... http://www.emgonline.co.uk/news.php?news=5602