I preferred the court marriage.” In Punjab, marriages are celebrated pub- licly for weeks with pomp and splendour. It is rare that marriages are conducted by court officials, as this is the mandated responsibility of religious leaders. The couple hoped that one day they would hold a big feast for everyone and go through the ceremonies again. After their secret wedding, Jassi stayed at the family home in Khosa, while her new husband stayed on his own. Confused at Jassi’s repeated rejections of potential suitors, Malkiat Kaur gave up and brought her daught er back to Canada. Jassi’s ‘disgrace’ The long-distance love affair between the newlyweds resumed. They spoke of love and their future in letters and phone calls. Jassi went back to work as a beautician. She stashed the letters from Mithu in a desk at her salon. She also began sending money to Mithu, some of which he used to buy a scooter. But in the fall of 1999, Jassi’s secret world came crashing down. Her uncle, Surjit Singh Badesha, the head of the Maple Ridge clan, f ound $11,000 miss- ing from the family account. He also found money orders taken out by Jassi to one Sukwinder Singh Sidhu in Khosa. The family also found the hidden letters from Mithu she had stashed away. Jassi’s life unravelled. She was told to quit work and confined to the house. Her passport was taken away. The family debated what to do to minimize the fallout from “Jassi’s disgrace.” Indian police allege in court documents that it was at this point that Jassi’s uncle and mother became involved in a con- spiracy that ultimately would lead to her death. In an attempt to annul the secret mar- riage, Jassi was taken to a notary public in Maple Ridge and forced to sign a decla- ration that Mithu had compelled her to marry him to gain access to her wealth. Forced marriages are a criminal offence in Punjab. The family then contacted Senior Supt. Jaskaran Singh at the Jagroan police sta- tion. They filed a formal complaint against Mithu. He was arrested. “The police … They did bad things to my son … It was so unjust,” said a bitter Sukhdev Kaur, Mithu’s mother. Supt. Jaskaran Singh regrets that police had to arrest Mithu. “It looked like a clear-cut case … We reg- istered the case and investigated it,” he said. Mithu was jailed and his family harassed. Desperate and frightened, Mithu man- aged to contact Jassi in Maple Ridge, urg- ing her to set the record s traight. On March 8, 2000, Jassi, with the help of some friends, contacted Pankaj Shah, a notary public in Coquitlam. At his Lincoln Avenue office, Jassi signed another affidavit, stating she was coerced into saying the marriage was forced. “I was threatened by my family and was then physically forced by them to sign the letter stating that our marriage was null and void,” wrote Jassi. This put a temporary halt to Mithu’s mis- ery. But Jassi’s family contacted another police officer, who then pursued Mithu. In Maple Ridge, Jassi’s life was becoming unbearable. Indian investigators allege she was being beaten and confined to her room. Mithu, meanwhile, was begging for her to return. In May 2000, Jassi summoned her courage, gathered her savings and fled to be with her husband in India. Jassi fights back Jassi’s first call was at Jaskaran Singh’s office. “When I met the girl, she was really very innocent and quite bold, straightforward, and I tried to pose questions that the boy is really weak, financially he is not so strong, he is not educated and, of course, there is no match with the family levels,” said the police officer. “But she was really much clear-hearted and very straightforward and she said, ‘I want to live with him for all my life.’ After talking with the girl, I was really convinced that she is innocent … the boy is innocent. “She told me that she was beaten (in Canada) … She was really given a tough time … She was a bold and beautiful girl.” Jaskaran Singh had the newlyweds sign an affidavit at the local magistrate’s office and closed the file on the allegations from Jassi’s family. “The Canadian authorities should take action against those who made all these false declarations … The offences were committed in Canada,” said an angry Jaskaran Singh. Believing the worst was behind them, Jassi and Mithu led the carefree life of young lovers. They travelled around India while making arrangements for Mithu to get his Canadian papers. Jassi was a hit with Mithu’s family and friends. In Maple Ridge, the mood was very dif- ferent. In addition to Mithu’s poverty and lower caste, he also carried the same last name as Jassi’s mother. In some segments of Sikh culture, the daughter cannot marry such a man, and Jassi’s family were strong adher- ents to this ancient tenet. As the family fumed, a cousin of Jassi’s in the village where the newlyweds had set- tled was asked to watch the couple. The conspiracy “She was the most beautiful girl in the world,” reminisced the soft-spoken Mithu about the few weeks they spent together as a married couple. Riding on Mithu’s scooter, they would often spend the night at Mithu’s uncle’s house in the village of Narike, about an hour from Khosa. Narike was also the stomping ground of a notorious land-grab mafia — a bunch of thugs well known to police for accepting money to commit crimes. Their leader was a landowner who police A12 Sunday, June 10, 2001 The Province • News SPECIAL REPORT Jassi and Mithu photographed at the time of their marriage in a court ceremony in 1999. They hoped one day to add a traditional wedding with pomp and splendour. When the family found Mithu’s letters, Jassi was grounded and her passport was taken away Continued from Page A11 Mithu fights for his life in a hospital in Ludhiana. Witnesses said they could not believe he survived the deep sword cuts to his head, back and hands.