Payal and Kanshan fell in love when they trained to become policemen. But their love met resistance and faced threats, forcing them to go to court to seek protection from their families, according to BBC Gujarati, Bhargav Barik.
When Payal met Kanchan, in 2017, she had no idea that she was going to fall in love with her fellow intern. That year, India's Supreme Court ruled that homosexuality was no longer a criminal offense, overturning an earlier ruling that upheld a law dating back to the colonial era. But old customs and reactionary attitudes persisted, making it difficult for same-sex relationships to be accepted by the larger community.
The two women, now 24 years old, have been living together as a married couple since 2018 in the western Indian state of Gujarat, and they know first-hand what discrimination looks like. Their love story came to light last month as they approached the Supreme Court.
Our families are against our relationship. "They are threatening us," Payal said, adding that the two had filed a request in court, asking for police protection. The court ruled that armed guards must protect the couple.
So-called honor killings - when a person is killed by a family member because of the belief that they have brought shame to society - is not uncommon in India and other South Asian countries. One study found that hundreds of people are killed every year in India for falling in love or getting married against the desires of their families.
Payal and Kanshan grew up in two remote villages in Gujarat, where conservative and patriarchal culture predominated. They both said they want to break barriers and feel inspired to enter a field dominated by men. They settled to maintain security.
In 2017, when they first met, they said that others in the force were reluctant to speak to them because they came from rural areas of the state while the rest were from larger cities and towns. Instantly, they felt alienated from their peers.
The two women were allocated the same room during police training. They fall into a relaxing routine - in the evening, exhausted from exercise, they gather to catch up on what they have missed and discuss their day. Their conversations soon extended to their lives and their families, and the two became best friends.
“If Kanchan washed my clothes, I would cook for her. Over time, our friendship grew stronger and we exchanged phone numbers to stay in touch after the training ended,” Payal said.
Coincidentally, the two were sent to the same city and decided to live in a police residence, sharing a room.
Kanchan said, “If Payal had a night duty, I handled all the chores at home, and if I had to work at night, Payal ran all of the housework. We were happy with our work and with time our lives started to revolve around each other.”
On this point in their friendship the two fell in love.
“On December 31, 2017, we hugged each other on New Years Eve just before midnight. It was probably the first time we had hugged - and we felt completely different,” Kanchan said.
Soon the families of the two women began to demand that they marry - the Kanchan family had already lined up suitable matches for them - but they managed to avoid the pressure. At the end of last year, when their mates living in police stations found out about their relationship, the couple decided to tell their families.
The women claimed that their families began to follow them and constantly monitor their movements.
And then, earlier this year, things got really ugly.
“One day, my family followed us when we were on duty. They stopped our car in the middle of the road and threatened us,” Payal claimed. “They also came by police stations once and created a scene there, calling us names and using offensive language.
"A few days after this incident, I received an anonymous death threat. That was when we decided to go to court to get protection."
The couple is glad the court ruled in their favor and granted them protection - it gave them some time to think about their future.
“Once the coronavirus pandemic is over, we want to go to southern India for a honeymoon,” Kanchan said.
The couple also wants to adopt a child in the future.
While homosexuality is no longer illegal, there is no law in India that facilitates same-sex couples - or provides for their rights, including adoption. But women hope.
"We are now 24 years old, but we want to start saving money and adopting a child, raising them well and getting a good education," Payal said.
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