That statement is so odd. Maybe it's something lost in translation. Or English isn't his first language.
But it really didn't read as something from someone's whose sons wife had just died in an accident. It sounds like a statement made from 'a neighbour' that the media gets from hanging around the area from someone quite removed the family.
My dad is Indian. The 'are arranged marriages just introductions or forced' is a grey area. There is introductions, where you don't have to marry the person if either person doesn't want to. That's usually what most people will say an arranged marriage is 'it's just an introduction.
I also grew up with a lot of friends from other cultures and religious. In the Indian community (even where they are of different religions) and the Muslim community (from different countries and cultures) lots of 'introductions' are actually forced marriages, labelled as Introductions.
In lots (not all) there's definitely a culture of saying its an introduction, but everyone knows they don't have a choice. Especially the women. Either they have been brought up and conditioned to do as their family (usually male members) tell them or they may be physically threatened into it. Threatened to be cut off from the family, told they will be shaming family if they say no, told they will be physically harmed if they don't.
Also where it is a genuine introduction, my general observation is that, if the man doesn't want to marry that holds far more weight. So if the man says yes and teh woman says no, there's often a bit of pressure applied to the women. Not forced but an attempt to try and convince them.
I am not saying this is a forced marriage. I have no clue. Or that this is the case in most marriages where parents made the introductions. Or that it had impacted what's happened here at all.
I am just answering the point about the grey area when it comes to introduction or arranged marriages.