How Siya and Ketan's marriage was fixed: Parents recount proposal story
Siya Goyal's parents have maintained that the marriage was arranged only after obtaining her consent and said they had no reason to believe she was unwilling to go ahead with the wedding.
The parents of Siya Goyal, the prime accused in the Ketan Agarwal murder case, have revealed for the first time how their daughter's marriage to Ketan was arranged, saying the alliance was finalised only after repeatedly seeking Siya's consent and receiving her assurance that she wanted to marry him.
In an interview with India Today, Siya's father, Praveen Goyal, who is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Pune after suffering a heart attack, said the proposal first came during a family wedding in Goa, where relatives from Ketan's side noticed Siya and enquired about her.
"Someone asked my brother whose daughter she was. When they learnt she was my daughter, they asked if we would consider a marriage proposal. At that time, we declined because Siya was only 19 and we were in no hurry to get her married," Praveen Goyal said.
According to him, the proposal resurfaced a few days later at another family wedding in Karjat, where Ketan's uncle, Aman Agarwal, again expressed interest in the match.
"My brother-in-law told them Siya was still young, but Aman Agarwal said both families could first complete the elder sibling's marriage and then move ahead with Siya's alliance. He said Ketan came from a good family and asked us to consider the proposal," Goyal said.
Praveen Goyal said that after returning home, his sister called to discuss the proposal. Although he initially felt Siya was too young and wanted to marry off his son first, relatives persuaded him to consider the Agarwal family because of their reputation.
"They told me it was a respected family and that such proposals do not come often. I told them I would first discuss it with my wife, Pooja, before taking a decision," he said.
The family eventually agreed to move forward with the alliance after discussing the proposal at home.
Pooja Goyal said the family repeatedly checked with Siya before finalising the engagement.
"We asked Siya at least ten times whether she liked Ketan and wanted to marry him. Every single time she told us, 'Yes, I like Ketan. I want to marry him. I don't have a relationship with anyone else,'" she said.
The couple maintained that the marriage was arranged only after obtaining Siya's consent and said they had no reason to believe she was unwilling to go ahead with the wedding.
Their statements come days after police alleged that Siya and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, conspired to kill Ketan at Pune's Lohagad Fort. The investigation into the case is continuing.