Finally, husband gets rights over body of Odisha lady doc

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, Sep 8:

Amid a verbal tug-of-war, Commissionerate police handed over the body of Dr Swetapadma Mishra, who reportedly committed suicide by jumping from the terrace of the eight-storey apartment where she lived in Sahid Nagar in Odisha’s capital city two days ago to Dr Arijit Mohapatra, the husband of deceased.

The matter was resolved and the body was handed over to Dr Arijit Mohapatra, a renowned paediatrician who was working in the same hospital where his wife worked, to perform the last rites as husband of the deceased after the two disgruntled families arrived at a compromise formula suggested by the cops.

“The couple was married for 17 years and the husband has the legal right to perform the last rites of his deceased wife. So, we handed over the body to her husband,” Sahid Nagar police station IIC Deepak Mishra said.

Interestingly, the two sparring families were ready to take the body with two ambulances waiting in the premises of the hospital.

A tug-of-war had ensued between the parents of the deceased lady doctor and her in-laws on the issue of the cremation right over the body forcing the Commissionerate police to keep the body in the mortuary at the Capital Hospital here yesterday till the cops came up with a compromise formula.

Dr Swetapadma Mishra, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at a city-based hospital, had jumped to death from Banalata Apartment in Sahid Nagar area in the capital on Sunday.

The parents of the deceased had alleged that their daughter had been murdered and levelled allegations of dowry torture. They also registered a case at the Sahid Nagar accusing the in-laws of Dr Swetapadma of torturing her mentally and physically for dowry.

The commissionerate police began inquiry into the suspected suicide by the lady doctor and questioned the members from both the sides.

“Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide. We are investigating into the matter and questioning the members from both the sides,” Bhubaneswar DCP Satyabrata Bhoi said today.

On Monday, the post-mortem was performed and was videographed.

Later in the day, heated exchange of words ensued between the two warring families who claimed the body of the deceased. While the parents of the deceased claimed the rights over the body to perform the last rites, the in-laws family too did not budge from their stand.

Following the dispute, the Commissionerate police kept the body in the mortuary of the Capital Hospital here till the matter was resolved. The police also consulted legal experts as to who the body should be handed over to, sources said.

Meanwhile, the brother and sister of the deceased arrived here this morning from the United States of America to pay their last respects to the departed sibling.

The funeral rites was performed at Swargadwar in Puri, Mohapatra family sources said.