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Popular figure in traditional Odia Jatra (theatre), Sonali Panda, filed a petition with the Orissa High Court in Cuttack alleging police inaction on Tuesday.
Also Read: Tulasi Gananatya owner accused of kidnapping woman, forcing her to leave husband and son
Why Sonali moved High Court?
According to sources, the actress had previously lodged an FIR at Balichandrapur Police Station of Jajpur district, asserting that a man, who recently introduced himself as her spouse, had abducted her long ago and engaged in non-consensual relations.
In her FIR, Sonali has described how the man named Shreekhetra had kidnapped her when she was a minor and forced her into a physical relationship. She also accused Shreekhetra of compelling her to undergo an abortion after she became pregnant. The actress added that she was coerced into a marriage while still underage, contravening the law.
Frustrated by the police inaction on such ‘grave’ allegations, Jatra artiste Sonali has moved to seek judicial redress through the High Court, as indicated by her legal counsel.
Sonali’s petition underscores the difficulties and delays often encountered by victims when local police fail to promptly address their complaints.
“She had lost her father and paternal family. The man, to whose house she had gone (after marriage), did not care for her. Considering this as a nightmare, she had previously joined a Jatra party,” Sonali’s legal counsel, Byomakesh Tripathy, said.
“Subsequently, she (the actress) had struggled a lot and scaled new heights after the corona (Covid-19 pandemic) withered away, when she hogged the limelight between 2020 and 2025. At that time, you (Shreekhetra) are blaming her and assassinating her character?” the legal counsel questioned while speaking exclusively to OTV.
“You (Shreekhetra) are saying that she is having a relationship with another man. Instead, you could have resorted to police seeking legal action; else, you could also have sent people to her to mediate and resolve the crisis. How far is it just and proper to assassinate her character before the media? Can a person survive in such a situation?” Tripathy continued.
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Worth mentioning, Odisha’s renowned Tulasi Gananatya is at the centre of a controversy after Shreekhetra accused its owner, Anant Narayan Dhal, alias Nandu Babu, of kidnapping his wife and forcing her to leave his family. The man claiming to be the husband of Sonali, working in the drama troupe, has accused Nandu Babu of holding his wife captive.
