Bhawanipatna, Oct 28: The exile of a woman for marrying outside caste chased her even she died. This 65-year-old woman when she died, her body was pulled in an upside-down cot by her brother in-law and sister in-law and they dragged the cot up to one km on the village road from her home to cremate her.
This brutal incident took place happened on Wednesday in Tentulipada village of Koksara block in Kalahadi.
The victim named Sabitri Jued was of a backwards caste. She had married a schedule tribe man belonging to other caste. Due to this reason her community members did not attend the cremation. Sabitri died at her home. On Wednesday, when her two relatives asked the society members (Goud Samaj) to take the body for cremation, nobody came forward. Thus having no other option, the brother in-law, Raghunath Jued, and her her sister-in-law took the body for cremation. Other society members on witnessing this pathetic scene came forward and even some of them helped to carry the body.
It’s stated that Sabitri was the second wife of Baidyanath Sabar. Sabar who was a migrant labour, alleged that the people of Goud Samaj (OBC) did not accept the marriage and exiled them since their marriage. All this was said to media by Raghunath Jued. Having no children, the woman lived alone in a Kachha house as her spouse had passed away six months ago. Sabitri was getting old-age pension under National Pension Scheme with which she earned her livelihood. She also had a ration card under NFSA but no house under Indira Awaas Yojna (IAY). Koksara BDO, Raghunath Mundari said that Rs 2,000 from the Harischandra Yojana was given to her in-laws to perform her last rites and a house under IAY is also to be provided to her relatives as they are also poor.
Additional district magistrate (Kalahandi) Chandramani Badanayak further informed that the Koksara BDO has been directed to probe the incident.
