Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday congratulated 2015-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) toppers Tina Dabi and Athar Amir-ul-Shafi on their wedding.
Rahul Gandhi in a tweet said, “Congratulations Tina Dabi & Athar Amir-ul-Shafi, IAS toppers, batch of 2015, on your wedding!”.
While attaching a news story with his tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, “May your love grow from strength to strength and may you be an inspiration to all Indians in this age of growing intolerance and communal hatred. God Bless you”.
Tina Dabi tied the knot with Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan in a beautiful ceremony at the picturesque Pahalgam in Kashmir.
The wedding took place on 7 April at the Pahalgam Club, and was attended by family members from both sides. A reception was held in Anantnag’s Mattan on 8 April.
In pictures that have been shared on social media, Dabi and Khan are seen dressed in traditional wedding attires. While Dabi wore a bright red lehenga, Khan looked handsome in a gold-colour sherwani.
While Dabi is from Delhi, Khan is from Anantnag. Both are posted in Rajasthan.
Dabi, 24, and Khan, 25, did not know each other before their meeting at the Department of Personnel and Training office in Delhi for the felicitation function in May 2015. It was love at first sight and the two quickly became a couple – both loved and reviled by people for different reasons.
In 2015, Dabi, a graduate from the prestigious Lady Shri Ram college in Delhi, became a national icon for the youth by becoming the first Dalit to top the IAS examinations. While it was Dabi’s first attempt, Khan cleared the exams in the second attempt.
The interfaith union was criticised by religious right-wing organisations. Dabi was trolled by haters on social media for her choice of partner.
Dabi, however, threw all criticisms and trolls out of the window with dignified comments. She said she had not committed a crime and did not have to prove anything to anyone.