What began as a joyous celebration of union turned into an unexpected tale of bruised egos and battered bodies in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, where a groom found himself at the receiving end of a violent outburst, all over a pair of shoes.

Muhammad Shabir, who journeyed with much excitement from Chakrata in Uttarakhand, arrived in Bijnor with his wedding procession, unaware that a seemingly harmless tradition would cast a dark cloud over his special day. The ‘joota chupai’ ritual, an age-old Indian wedding custom where the bride’s family cheekily hides the groom’s shoes and demands money for their return, was meant to be a moment of laughter and light-hearted bargaining. Instead, it ignited a firestorm.

The bride’s sister-in-law spirited away Shabir’s shoes as the ceremony progressed, expecting him to cough up Rs. 50,000,  a sum increasingly demanded during such customs in recent years. Shabir, however, chose a more modest route, offering Rs. 5,000 instead. What followed wasn’t playful haggling, but scorn. The bride’s relatives, particularly the women, branded the groom a ‘beggar’ for what they deemed a miserly offering.

The insult struck a chord. A verbal spat quickly escalated, transforming the atmosphere from festive to furious. According to Shabir’s family, tempers flared and civility vanished. They allege that they were locked inside a room by the bride’s relatives and thrashed with sticks, with Shabir receiving the worst of it. The merrymaking gave way to mayhem.

But the bride’s side tells a different tale. They claim it wasn’t the money alone that sparked the chaos. The real catalyst, they say, came when Shabir’s family questioned the authenticity of the gold jewellery gifted during the ceremony. Accusations flew, tempers ignited further, and pride , that fragile thread binding such grand occasions, snapped.

The altercation soon reached the ears of local police. Officers from Najibabad station rushed to the scene to restore order. Both families were later brought in to present their sides of the story. After much back-and-forth, a truce was finally negotiated under police supervision.

“The dispute stemmed from the ‘joota chupai’ tradition,” an officer said. “We listened to both parties and helped them reach a mutual understanding.”

This incident, bizarre yet telling, serves as a cautionary tale,  a reminder that even the most light-hearted customs, if handled without grace, can unravel into chaos. For Shabir, it’s a wedding he’s unlikely to forget, not for the vows, but for the price he paid for his shoes.

From ritual to ruckus: Groom assaulted in Bijnor over ‘Joota Chupai’ dispute

What is Joota Chupai ?

Joota Chupai is a playful North Indian wedding ritual where the bride’s sisters or friends steal the groom’s shoes during the ceremony and demand money for their return. It’s a fun tradition meant to foster bonding and light-hearted banter between families. The groom negotiates a “ransom,” often in cash or gifts, to get his shoes back, symbolising mischief, bonding, and the blending of two families through laughter and fun.