Boinda: A heartbreaking incident in Angul district has brought attention to ongoing caste-based discrimination in society. A woman along with her daughter was forced to carry and cremate the body of her husband after his family and community refused to perform the last rites due to his inter-caste marriage.
The incident occurred in Sharadhamunda village under Nunukapashi panchayat of Kishorenagar block. Prakash Pradhan, 45, from Pentharabasa village in Athamallik police jurisdiction, passed away Thursday morning after battling kidney disease for several months. Prakash had married Rita Bishwal in 2010, defying caste barriers. Their marriage was rejected by both families, and they were ostracised by their communities. The couple was excluded from social events, and any interaction with them was met with fines. Despite the social boycott, they built a life together in Sharadhamunda, raising two daughters and a son, while Prakash worked as a folk singer’s assistant. In 2020, Prakash was diagnosed with kidney failure.
Despite undergoing treatment for five years, he succumbed to the illness Thursday. Rita informed both her in-laws and her own family of his death, but they reportedly visited only to see the body and then left without assisting in the funeral rites. They allegedly refused to touch the body or help carry it, citing caste traditions. Left with no other option, Rita and her children sat by the body grieving, as no one came forward to help with the cremation.
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Local residents contacted Kishorenagar tehsil administration, but no official arrived, and police from Boinda outpost reportedly visited and left without taking action. Finally, a group of Boinda residents, including Bijay Sahu, Bishnu Prasad Pradhan, Sarbeshwar Sahu, Rama Behera, Ajit Pradhan, Trilochan Behera, and Giridhari Pradhan, stepped in. They arranged firewood and other necessities for the cremation. Rita and her eldest daughter, Poojarini Biswal, carried Prakash’s body on a cot to the cremation ground, where his son, Rajesh Biswal, lit the funeral pyre. The incident has sparked widespread outrage, highlighting the deep-seated issue of caste discrimination in modern society.
