It is a matter of utter shame and deep concern that young women who have completed the statutory age of 18 are being declared “dead” by their parents by way of performing their “Sudhikriya” (death rituals) because they dared to have their love marriage against their parents' consent.

As reported widely, Deepanjali Mallick, 20, of Demal village under Aul PS of Kendrapada,  did her love marriage on 28.08.2023 in a local temple defying her parents. Her father Muna Mallick and her father-in-law Ananta Mallick are residents of the same Village Demal and incidentally they belong to the same SC Kandara caste.

The young man Rajendra  whom Deepanjali married out of love is 23 years old. He is studying B.Tech course. Before her marriage with her Lover she Eloped with him, a missing case was filed in the Aul Police Station. Police traced  her. She was handed over to her parents.

Deepanjali found that her parents were planning to get her married to some other young man. This forced her to leave the house of her parents and reached her lover’s house on the same day. She married her lover in a traditional way in a temple. This did not go well with her parents. So they did the “Sudhikriya”. This is totally unfair and insulting to the image of their “living” daughter Deepanjali.

The other case was reported in Gajapati district. Chandini Sahu, a +2 Science student who belongs to Khandayat Caste and is a resident of Chandiput village under Mohana PS, deserted her parents to marry

her lover Dhanyaja Nayak, 28, a +3 Arts student of Christian Community of the same village. The duo reached AMOFOI Office on September 5. They married by exchange of garlands after having deep love affairs for nearly 10 years.

This caused a great deal of heart-burning for Chandini’s parents Sahadev Sahu and Sanju Sahu. So to keep their caste image intact, they performed Chandini’s “Sudhikriya” on 11.09.2023 in total violation of the Right to Life as guaranteed to every citizen of India under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Her parents  might have done it to prevent themselves from social “ostracisation” by their Khandayat community. This social evil is very much rampant in many parts of Odisha, more so in Ganjam and Gajapati districts.

It is a matter of great worry that after 73 years of launching of the Constitution of India, parents are still considering their grown-up daughters as their “slaves”, not being treated as individuals of dignity. In the Kerala Hydia case, the Supreme Court of India has made it clear on March 8, 2018 that any woman of India who has completed the age of 18 “enjoys absolute autonomy over her person”. It means that parents have no role at all to interfere in the personal life of their own daughter. She has all freedom to choose her life partner and marry him as per her wish. This being the law of the land, civil authorities, the State and the district  administration must see to it that no young woman is “dishonoured”  in any manner for doing her love marriage.

(The writer is general secretary, Freethought Party of India; Mob: 9238878280)