‘‘Nobody can separate us. Not even death,’’ declared Raju (25) with her partner Mala (22) by her side. The two girls had eloped to Delhi and married in a temple there. ‘‘We have vowed to live together for the rest of our lives as husband and wife,’’ said Raju after their return to Amritsar. She said they had been planning to tie the knot for the last eight months.Even though the families of both the girls were happy at their return, they preferred not to comment on their ‘‘marriage’’. Ranjit Kaur, Raju’s mother, said: ‘‘I am happy to see her back since she is my only child. However, I am yet to make sense of their so-called marriage.’’ Raju and Mala, who are both residents of Sandhu Colony at Majitha Road, were friends right from their childhood. Their elopement earlier this month had created a sensation in this rather conservative city.The two girls claimed they had decided to elope owing to family pressure. Urging their familes and the society in general to be kind, they said that both were deeply in love with each other. Mala, who was wearing red bangles, a symbol of marriage, added: ‘‘I have left my family for her.’’Threatening to commit suicide if they were forcibly separated, Mala said: ‘‘We both are willing to go to jail if we have violated the law of the land.’’Raju, with short hair and clad in jeans and a leather jacket, said: ‘‘We do not care for the society.’’ The two girls were later asked to report at the Vijay Nagar police station where a case regarding their disappearance was registered. ‘‘They would be produced before the court,’’ said SSP Kultar Singh.
