As Bisra Tehsil denies widow status to her
Widow of Home Guard Naresh Gouda, who hailed from the Rourkela area and died of sunstroke in April 2014 while on election duty at Baleswar, has been running from pillar to post to get the benefits of her deceased husband. Source said though Pinky Gouda, as the immediate legal heir of deceased Naresh, deserved to get a Home Guard job and 10 lakh on behalf of the State Government and Rs 15 lakh as ex-gratia from the Election Commission yet she has not received any of these benefits. The reason is she has not been issued a legal heir certificate by the Bisra Tehsildar in Sundargarh district.
It is learnt that Naresh had love-married Pinky eight months before his death. But his mother Sabitri and elder brother Paban were dissatisfied with their marriage and were quarelling with them. The couple had even lodged a complaint in the Jhirpani PS alleging that they were being tortured mentally. Now, after Naresh’s death, Sabitri and Paban are refusing to accept Pinky as their daughter-in-law.
Though the local Sarpanch had given a written witness to Tehsildar laxman Oram that Naresh and Pinky had married on August 15, 2013 in the presence of Naresh’s family members and villagers and Pinky was still staying in her in-law’s house separately, the Tehsildar has issued a legal heir certificate in Sabitri’s name. To get justice Pinky sought the intervention of the then Rourkela SP AN Sinha. Accordingly, the Rourkela DSP summoned Pinky, Sabitri and Paban to Jhirpani PS but the mother son due did not turn up. Despite repeated attempts Bisra Teshildar could not be contacted. Pinky’s lawyer Saroj Mohapatra, who is also a social worker, said he tried a lot to explain Oram about the injustice made to Pinky but he didn’t listen. He said he would move to higher authorities against Oram’s decision. “We are apprehensive of misuse of ex-gratia as Sabitri is already carrying a legal heir certificate. We also fear that Pinky might take hard step like self-immolation if she doesn’t get justice soon,” said some of Pinky’s well wishers, including Mohapatra. They have also sought the district Collector’s intervention into the matter.