AHMEDABAD: A family's wedding celebrations in Gujarat's Bhavnagar city were turned into mourning when the bride died of a heart attack during the ritual.
However, the bride's family suggested the groom marry the bride's younger sister. During the wedding, the bride's body was kept in the hospital's cold storage. The body was cremated after the marriage.
On Wednesday, Hetal, the eldest child of Jeena Rathod of the Bharwad (also known as Gadaria ) family residing in the Subhashnagar neighborhood of Bhavnagar city, was engaged to Vishal Ranabhai of the Nari village. The procession had arrived in Bhavnagar by the evening, and other wedding rituals were being completed.
Hetal felt dizzy and walked to the balcony to get some fresh air in between the wedding ceremonies. When Hetal was nowhere to be found, people searched for Hetal on the terrace and found her lying unconscious. Hetal's family then took her to the hospital, where the medical staff declared her dead. According to the doctors, Hetal suffered a heart attack.
While the family was taken back by the grief, the bride's family decided to store Hetal's body in the hospital's cold storage. Later, the bride's younger daughter, who was supposed to become the groom's sister-in-law, ended up marrying the groom.
Laxmanbhai, the leader of the Maldhari Community (who are involved in cattle-rearing in Gujarat) in Bhavnagar, characterized the episode as extremely sad. He claimed that despite the family's shock at their daughter's passing, members of the community persuaded them to set an example by not abandoning the groom and his family.