Baghpat (UP), Apr 15 (PTI) She was about to be married but there was one important place she had to be – at a protest against Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor project authorities who had allegedly forcibly acquired her father’s land.

The incident took place in Bijraul-Jalalpur village in Baghpat district on Sunday when the woman, Vanshika, joined a demonstration just before her wedding ceremony to protest against what her family claims was an illegal attempt to take over their farmland.

The family alleged that a team from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), accompanied by police personnel, tried to forcibly take possession of one bigha of land without paying compensation. The officials, however, maintain that the land had already been acquired.

Speaking to PTI, NHAI’s local project director Narendra Singh said, “The land in question had already been acquired, and on Sunday, the police had gone to remove an illegal structure that had been erected there to pressure the authorities into increasing the compensation.”  Calling the protest a publicity stunt, he added, “The demonstration staged by the bride and her family is propaganda, and we are in the process of filing both civil and criminal cases in this matter.”    However, Vanshika’s father, Deshpal Singh, denied the claims. He said, “Our land has already been acquired three times before, and now they are trying to take over an additional one bigha of land without proper compensation. We, along with other villagers, are protesting this.”  He further alleged that the extra land was not even needed for the construction of the corridor.

According to the district magistrate’s office, the matter is currently under consideration in the court of Baghpat’s additional district magistrate, with the next hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

After the protest ended, Vanshika returned to her wedding venue and completed the marriage ceremony with her groom. PTI COR KIS AMJ AMJ AMJ AMJ AMJ