The groom was arrested at a wedding in the district of Karayazı in Erzurum province. The wedding convoy was initially stopped by police as it entered the village, and the driver was given a traffic ticket on the grounds that the license plate was not visible. Later, police officers entered the wedding hall and detained the traditionally dressed groom Kerim Polat. He was also asked at the police station why he was wearing these clothes. The justification for the arrest stated that the groom was wearing military clothing and Mekap brand shoes, saying that these were used as uniforms by "the organization”, referring to the PKK.

In his defense, Polat stated that these were traditional Kurdish clothes and did not constitute a criminal offense. The groom was released after questioning.