When the going gets tough, the tough get going. A Kota bride was a picture of courage and strength when she refused to give in to the demands of dowry and called off her marriage on her wedding day.

The bride Dr Rashi, who is a dentist by profession refused to marry her suitor when the groom’s parents demanded a dowry of around Rs 1 crore.

Dr Rashi was to get married to Dr Saksham Saxena, an assistant professor and resident of Gwalior. The ‘barat’ for the marriage arrived on Saturday and was put up at the luxurious heritage hotel, Brijraj Palace. On Sunday noon, the groom and his family demanded cash, gold and silver jewellery worth around Rs 1 crore.

The bride’s father, Dr Anil Saxena disclosed that at the time of 'roka' (engagement) in November, they had given around Rs 3 to 4 lakh in gifts and cash. He also said that they had spent a total of around Rs 30-35 lakh for the wedding. On Saturday, the groom was given a car and five gold coins of 10 grams each. This unexpected demand from the groom’s side, therefore, was a rude shock for him.

The doctor and his wife informed about this additional dowry demand to their daughter who then spoke to the groom. He, however, refused to budge. The bride then decided to cancel the marriage. She said that being the only daughter, her parents had planned a wedding with all possible luxuries, gifts and cash in dowry, but on seeing the unending greed of the groom and his family, she decided not to go ahead with the marriage.

Dr Anil Saxena filed a complaint the groom and his family on Monday and the police are now investigating the case. Dr Rashi’s decision is a perfect step to be followed by the society to fight the evil of dowry.