Newly-married woman ends life after in-laws called her cancer patient in Bhubaneswar

A newly-married woman allegedly killed herself at her brother’s rented house at GGP Colony under Mancheswar police limits in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. 

The deceased woman has been identified as Pragyan Paramita Swain, daughter of Prabhakar Swain, a resident of Kula Lunigaon under Niali police limits in Cuttack district. 

According to family members, she had been under severe stress after her husband and in-laws snapped the relationship with her, calling her a cancer patient. 

Pragyan was married to Prashant Patra, a resident of Patia area in Bhubaneswar, on June 8. 12 days after the marriage, her in-laws asked her family members to take her back as she was a cancer patient. 

Her brother took Pragyan to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar and got her checked. The doctor treating her termed the disease as one relating to decaying of teeth and not connected to cancer. Conducting a minor surgery, the doctor sent them back. 

But Pragyan’s sufferings did not end here. Even after complete recovery, neither her husband Prashant nor her in-laws accepted her. They even blocked her mobile number. 

“They (in-laws) had said they wouldn’t take her back as she was a cancer patient. My sister somehow came to know this and had been under severe mental stress. Today, she took the extreme step,” said Priyabrata Swain, the deceased’s younger brother. 

“Calling her a cancer patient, they stopped talking to her, snapping all ties with her 25 days ago. They even blocked her mobile number. Thus they had been inflicting mental torture on her,” alleged Pradosh Kumar Swain, the deceased’s elder brother.  

While no reaction has so far been received neither from Prashant nor from any of his family members as to on what basis they called her a cancer patient, Mancheswar police have launched an investigation. 

“Our investigation is in the preliminary stage. We are investigating into the case as per the complaint lodged by the deceased’s family members,” said Basudha Khuntia, SI of Mancheswar police station. 

However, Prashant’s family members performed her last rites at Satyanagar crematorium.