Jamui BPSC teacher marries cousin after gender transition surgery

Patna: An unusual marriage involving two cousins from Jamui district has generated widespread attention after a 22-year-old BPSC teacher took an Rs 8-lakh bank loan to support the gender transition of her cousin, whom she later married in a temple ceremony on May 31.

The bride, Nayanshree, posted at Primary School Mednipur in Lakshmipur block after clearing the BPSC teacher recruitment examination in 2025, married her cousin Rakhi, who is now identified as Rahul following a gender transition surgery conducted at AIIMS-Delhi about six months ago.

The wedding was solemnised at the Pateshwar Nath temple in Lakshmipur, where the couple performed traditional Hindu rituals and took the customary seven rounds around the sacred fire. Videos of the ceremony and post-wedding rituals later went viral on social media, drawing attention across Jamui district and beyond.

According to family members, the two had known each other since childhood. They studied together for several years and reportedly developed a relationship without revealing it to their families.

Nayanshree’s father is employed in the Bihar Secretariat, while her mother is a homemaker. Rahul’s father works in a private company in Kolkata.

The two are paternal cousins. Nayanshree’s aunt and Rahul’s father are siblings and belong to villages located about 6 km apart in Lakshmipur block. Both Nayanshree and Rahul cleared their matriculation examination in 2019, stayed in the same hostel during graduation and later moved to Patna in 2023 to prepare for BPSC examinations.

Family members said their relationship began while they were preparing for Classes XI and XII and continued for nearly five years.

Lakshmipur ward member Rajesh Kumar claimed that Nayanshree had taken a bank loan of Rs 8 lakh in her own name to fund the medical procedure.

“Nayanshree believed that undergoing transition herself could create problems in her govt job, so she asked Rakhi to do it instead,” he said.

According to family members, Rahul’s family was unaware of the surgery until the latter returned home in May after spending about a month in the hospital.

The marriage was solemnised at the Patneshwar Nath temple in the presence of a few people. During the ceremony, Rahul applied ‘sindoor’ on Nayanshree’s forehead. Videos of post-marriage rituals at Rahul’s native village, Harla, later circulated widely on social media.

Rahul’s sister, Renu Kumari, said the family had not been informed about the marriage in advance.

“She (Rahul) left home on May 31 saying she was going to buy a mobile phone. We learned of the wedding only after they returned,” Renu said.

Relatives said Nayanshree’s parents reached Rahul’s house on Sunday night and objected to the marriage. During an argument, they allegedly damaged the entrance gate. The couple subsequently left through the rear exit and are currently staying at an undisclosed location.

Family members, however, maintained that there was no coercion involved and that the marriage was consensual.