Man kills ‘wife’ with sword inside Odisha family court

A family court in Odisha’s Sambalpur district witnessed horrific scenes on Monday when a man killed a woman, who he claimed was his wife, with a sword after a chase on the court premises.

Two other persons, the woman’s mother and niece, were also injured in the attack which seemed to be pre-planned.

The accused, Ramesh Kumar, 24, an autorickshaw driver, came to the court armed with a sword for the hearing of a “conjugal dispute” plea filed by him.

Kumar, who hails from Sindurpankh in Sambalpur city, had eloped with the victim, Sangeeta Choudhary, 18, last year. They stayed together for four months and later returned to their respective houses following some dispute.

According to Sangeeta’s family, she was tortured during her stay with him.

Kumar tried to convince Sangeeta to return to him on many occasions.

Meanwhile, the woman’s family married her off to a person in Bihar in February this year. When Kumar got to know about the marriage, he moved the court claiming Sangeeta to be his wife.

On Monday morning, Kumar came to the family court and attacked the woman and her family members. Sangeeta suffered injuries on her abdomen, chest and head. Kumar also hit her mother and three-year-old niece.

All three were rushed to V.S.S. Medical College, Burla, where Sangeeta succumbed to her injuries.