A youth who had put vermilion on his ladylove to marry her more than three years ago, dumped her and again married her on Monday after the victim lodged a complaint against him.
According to sources, Swetabasanta Jena works as a contract labourer in the Rourkela Steel Plant and resides with his parents in B block in Sector-7. He had developed friendship with Pujarani Naik; and thereafter, their love relationship had started. As per an FIR of Pujarani, Swetabasanta had reportedly put vermilion on her head on June 1, 2016 in the Jagannath temple of Hanuman Vatika at Rourkela. After their marriage, Swetabasanta took Pujarani to his home, but after a few days, Swetabasant’s parents started torturing her as she belongs to a “lower caste” and did not allow her to enter in puja room, kitchen and ultimately cast her off.
Pujarani lodged a complaint during that period in the women police station seeking justice. The then IIC of women police station called members of both the families and told Swetabasanta to live with Pujarani. Swetabasanta took Pujarani to a house at Sector-16 where Swetabasanta allegedly used to torture her and told her to bring Rs 5 lakh from her house. Pujarani again lodged a complaint in the Sector-7 police station and women police station. After knowing about complaint against him, Swetabasanta took Pujarani to Bhubaneswar and kept her in a house there. He then came to Rourkela, leaving Pujarani at Bhubaneswar.
Pujarani waited for Swetabasanta from December 2017 to December 2019, but the latter did not return to Bhubaneswar and also did not pick up her call.
Finding no other alternative, Pujarani came to Rourkela on February 7 and met former Councillor of BJP Pramila Das and shared her plight. As per advice of Pramila, Pujarani lodged a complaint in the women police station on February 8. Fearing arrest of Swetabasanta, his parents reached police station and agreed to take Pujarani to their home. As per demand of Pujarani for her surety, her father-in-law also gave her a cheque of Rs 2 lakh.
On Monday, again the marriage of Swetabasanta and Pujarani was solemnised in the premises of the Jagannath temple in Hanuman Vatika at Rourkela in the presence of members of both families and Pramila Das.