In Kendrapara district, a 20-year-old girl’s family publicly declared her dead and performed her post-death rituals to protest her marriage. The girl, Dipanjali Mallick, married her boyfriend Rajendra Mallick in a temple on August 28. Upset with their daughter’s decision, her parents severed ties with her and pronounced her dead.
The girl’s father, Muna Mallick, stated that they had filed a police complaint against Rajendra when the couple eloped. The police traced them and returned their daughter, but Dipanjali rebelled and went ahead with the marriage. This deeply hurt her parents and damaged their reputation. They performed the funeral rituals to publicly declare that she was dead to them.
Muna Mallick expressed his disappointment, saying that their daughter had brought shame upon the entire family. They had hoped to arrange her marriage with a suitable partner, but she disregarded their wishes and got married without their consent.
Dipanjali defended her decision, stating that she had reached the age of marriage and made the right choice. On the other hand, Rajendra’s parents welcomed her as their daughter-in-law, believing that their son had done nothing wrong.
A human rights activist from Kendrapara, Amarbara Biswal, criticized the family’s actions. He stated that both the bride and groom were adults, and there was nothing wrong with a girl eloping to marry according to her choice after turning 18. Performing the post-death rituals was a violation of the girl’s human rights and a humiliation for her.
Overall, the family’s public declaration of their daughter’s death to protest her marriage has sparked controversy and raised concerns about individual autonomy and family dynamics.
