In an unusual incident reported from Umar, within the Bhadreswar police limits of Cuttack, a family conducted the last rites for a girl who is still alive. Expressing their anger after the girl eloped with her boyfriend, the family went so far as to perform ‘pindadaan,’ a post-death ritual meant to sever ties with a departed soul.
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According to reports, Payal Mohapatra, who went missing on November 1, prompted her father Biswajit Mohapatra to file a missing person complaint. Despite the police being clueless about her whereabouts, they received a video message from Payal. Acting on the complaint, the police rescued Payal and apprehended her lover, who happened to be her tuition teacher. Upon learning of the situation, her family disowned her and promptly arranged for her last rites, involving priests and clan kinsmen.
The girl, Payal Mohapatra, in a video message, alleged that she was being tortured by her family. “Nobody kidnapped me. I came with him at my will. They were harassing me physically and mentally. I am safe here. I have told the police that I am over 18 years old. If anything happens to me and Akash or his family, then my family and some antisocial people of the village will be responsible.”
