Woman and parents arrested for murdering husband in Odisha’s Ganjam district

A senior Odisha police officer said the man, Bhagaban, used to torture his wife Jhili physically and mentally, suspecting her character.

Published on: Jun 27, 2021, 09:17:03 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A 30-year-old woman and her parents were arrested on Saturday for allegedly murdering the woman’s husband in Odisha’s Ganjam district over alleged torture by the deceased, said police.

A man in Odisha’s Ganjam district was allegedly murdered by his wife and her parents since he tortured his wife. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Jhili Naik (30), her father Kabiraj Naik (59) and mother Kishori Naik (58) were arrested on charges of stabbing and then beheading Jhili’s husband Bhagaban Naik alias Bhagia on June 18, they said. On June 22, a headless corpse was recovered from the Rushikulya riverbed near Nuapada village.

Aska sub divisional police officer (SDPO) Uma Shankar Singh said the accused woman married the deceased Bhagia of Gudidhepa village 9 years ago and the couple had a 6-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son.

However, Bhagaban allegedly tortured his wife Jhili physically and mentally, suspecting her character. As the situation worsened, Jhili started staying separately at a rented house with her children in Puspa Nagar village from June 8. However, Bhagaban went there and started torturing her, police said.

“On June 18 evening, Bhagaban again assaulted his wife. When Jhili informed her parents, they immediately arrived at Pushpa Nagar. Soon after Jhili, her parents and children left for their village Suramani. But at about 10 PM, Bhagaban ran after them with a sharp weapon threatening to kill them. Apprehending danger to the life of her father, Jhili stabbed Bhagaban with a kitchen knife. Kabiraj then beheaded Bhagaban,” said Singh.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More