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Binapani Patro, Orissa
Mother of Bismayati

I come from Badapari Village of Khurda district of the state Orissa. I have come here to share the story of my daughter Ms.Bismayati Patro. She was twenty-two years old, graduate & had done PGDCA on computer. She was also a national and state awardee on Kabadi, Swimming & Football. She received more than fifteen awards both at state & national level. She was interested for further studies & also wanted to become self sufficient. We had not intended for her to marry so soon, and her marriage became the cause of her death.

Her father-in-law Ramachandra Rout and husband Amiya killed her because of dowry demand. The man who became her father-in-law saw her once on the way back home from her college and sent the proposal of her marriage with his son through his relative who belongs to our village. As we were not ready for it, we refused. But frequently came and requested us to give our daughter. He told us that they didn’t need anything. He said I will keep her as my daughter as we have no female member in our family. As an old man, I expect little care from her. We told him that as a woman who plays sports, she needs to go outside for playing kabadi, football along with boys and that it may create problem for him after marriage. After listening, Mr. Ramachandra Rout agreed with all of our conditions and said he didn’t have any problem. She will continue her career as she likes after marriage. He tried to win our trust.

After a few days we sent message to Mr. Ramachandra Rout to meet his son as we wanted to know about him. We met and found Amiya to be quite sober, handsome and interested to marry our daughter. We also collected all the necessary information about Amiya from his village, neighbors, and friends and every body told that he is good in nature. Keeping this in mind, we took the consent of our daughter and finally we did her marriage at a temple on 25th April 2008 with Amiya. Though there was no demand from their side, we had given some jewelry to both of them and had told them we would give Rs 50,000/- for buying some assets for Bismayati. But we did not know that they lots of expectations which they did not express at that time.

Just after two days of marriage, our daughter, her husband, and her father-in-law left for Delhi, as the boy was working as a security guard in a company there .While going, we had given Rs.20,000/- for purchasing some required assets at Delhi. After four months they came back for an operation of Ramachandra Rout. After two days of their arrival my husband along with the mediator went to visit them with some assets, groceries, sweets and vegetables for Bismayati. When she met her father she was very happy & came close to him to talk. Ramachandra Rout did not allow her to talk to him, and said that none of Bismayati’s family is allowed to talk to his family. This had made us wonder if she was being tortured by her in laws.

Then we came to know that her mother-in-law had committed suicide because of dowry torture. We then went to her family with the mediator to bring back our daughter if she is in trouble. The sister-in-law and brother-in-law of Bismayati were in the house when we bought Bismayati to our home. She was with us for two months .Then the father and son both came and begged our apology and told us they would not create any problem in future. To avoid tense situation and not to put us in trouble, Bismayati was compelled to go back, believing that she could manage the situation by herself.

After returning she was again tortured by them physically & mentally. Again after two weeks we brought her back, and again Bismayati’s husband took her back saying that he is going to job Bhubaneswar and he will take his wife with him soon. After one week of stay at our house, her husband took her to Bhubaneswar. In the mean time, the father in law came to us and demanded money that was told by us during marriage. The degree of Bismayati’s mental pressure was increasing day by day. But she was not informing us so we would not worry.

In spite of her father-in-law’s unwillingness, Bismayati and her husband came to our house and took all her certificates as she was trying to get job also. After, there was an argument we did not know about in their family and both father and son had burnt all her certificates. Both father and son had put pressure on us time to time for the demand money where we pleaded for time. At the same time, we also reminded them that they had no demand during marriage and we had told them to give so we would give it as per our convenience within two months. As we could give the money at the time they wanted, they threatened us not to keep relationship with our daughter.

Bismayati’s father and uncle had been to her in-law’s place to settle the issue. But her father-in-law was not ready to listen any thing and sticked to his point. Bismayati decided to solve this issue by her own by contacting the Orissa police. In response her husband and father-in-law set fire to her certificates in front of her. When she wanted to give this message to us they destroyed her mobile which we gifted her at the time of marriage.

They put pressure on Bismayati to bring demand money as soon as possible. On 3rd December Amiya came with Bismayati for the rest money but as it was not possible for us to arrange money at that time and we promised to give it within a week. Inspite of our request that they stay at our house, they went back to their village the same day. After two days of their return, on Dec 5th Amiya, contacted us over phone to enquire whether we have arranged money or not and he threatened us that if we can not arrange the money to give them, we have to forget our daughter.

On 6th December at 4.15 A.M. we got a phone call from Amiya, the husband of Bismayati that our daughter committed suicide. After listening the news we could not believe this because we know our daughter is mentally strong enough that she will never make such a mistake. So we told Amiya to give phone to our daughter to talk with her. Then he replied that “you just come and see whether your daughter is alive or not?” Before intimating police, we the family members along with 1000 people (male, female) of Badapari village went to their house. Her father-in-law told us that we the father and son had slept in a separate room and we did know when she put kerosene on her body and put fire.

After seeing the truth we were shocked and it was not suicide, it was a murder. We saw her body in the birth room, the wall as well as door of the birth room was black with smoke and there was kerosene smell. Her body was not totally burnt and only the middle portion of her body was burnt and there was no scratch on the body. It was very much clear that they have put kerosene and set fire on the dead body. We came back with the dead body with the police. We lodged FIR no(252/08) under section 498 at the police station, Tangi, and the dead body was sent for post mortem. Then both the father and son were arrested immediately by the police. We the parents were socked still we had do the funeral of our daughter. My husband was not able to think or do any thing because of mental shock but I was strong enough to take action I was being supported by lot of women.

As an activist only one thing was in my mind that I can not get my daughter back but I have to give her justice otherwise I can not forgive myself. I was also thinking that nobody else should have to endure this. All the women group members (about a thousand) were regularly coming to us and were giving consolation and mental support to fight for justice. The police were cooperative with us. But while going to the court, the husband and father-in-law had telephoned me to compromise but I am not ready for that. We want them to be punished and that they should not get bail. In the mean time, the post mortem report came but it was not in our favor as they had manipulated it by paying money. We made a case against them under high court. Since then, five months later, the father was granted bail due to ill health and the son remains in jail.