Uttar Pradesh, India – She cannot be forced to tie the knot with a man who does not respect her, said the father of a woman who decided to return home from her wedding venue without solemnizing the marriage after a few friends of the groom dragged her to the dance floor.

The prospective groom hailed from a village in Bareilly district, while the bride-to-be was from Kannauj district.

Both are post-graduates and the marriage was arranged with the nod of both families. On Friday, the bride-to-be and her family arrived in Bareilly for a grand wedding ceremony. Everything seemed perfect till things allegedly soured over an incident that took place at the venue, upsetting the bride-to-be. Some friends of the groom are said to have dragged the bride to the dance floor, thus triggering a heated argument between the two sides.

Following the argument that ensued, the wedding was cancelled, and the bride decided to go back home. The bride’s family also allegedly filed a dowry complaint against the groom’s family but the two sides arrived at a settlement later. According to a report in The Times of India, the groom’s family agreed to pay Rs 6.5 lakh to the family of the bride-to-be.

“The wedding has been called off. The woman’s family had given a dowry complaint. No FIR was registered since it is an issue between two families. They reached a settlement,” the report quoted a police officer as saying.

On Sunday, the groom’s family attempted to convince the bride’s family to re-arrange a simple ceremony to solemnize the marriage, but in vain. The bride refused to tie the knot over the “misbehaviour” meted out to her.