On 22 August last year, Sunaina and Afraaz left their hotel in Delhi to get married at an Arya Samaj temple named Vedic Trust. All decked up in a yellow Benarsi saree, Sunaina was mildly disappointed on seeing a dingy, grimy temple on the first floor of a nondescript building in the Shahdara area of east Delhi. But she pushed the feeling aside because after a long-drawn ordeal, she was finally getting married to the person of her choice, accompanied by their family—and most importantly, lawfully. “Hum excited bhi the aur darr bhi lag raha tha”—We were excited as well as scared—Sunaina recalled. “Bas shaadi safely ho jaye, ye hi dua kar rahe the kyunki itna jhel liya tha aur paise laga diye the humne.” (We just wanted to get married safely because we had endured enough and had spent so much money.) She worried for Afraaz’s life and that…

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