Kendrapada (Orissa), Oct 5: A Christian husband allegedly tortured his Hindu wife for her refusal to embrace Christianity in Orissa’s Kendrapada district, police said Thursday.

Sumitra Mallick, 19, resident of Arunanagar village in the coastal district of Kendrapada filed a complaint Wednesday with the local police alleging her husband Padia Das and her in-laws tortured her mentally and physically when she refused to embrace Christianity.

Padia Das allegedly raped Sumitra in June 2005 and was consequently arrested. To escape the punishment, the culprit agreed to marry the victim while he was lodged in the prison.

Both of them married in a local court in the presence of police. Later Das filed an affidavit before the court and was granted bail on that ground.

“At the time of marriage, I was not aware about his religion. I was under the impression that my husband was a Hindu,” said Sumitra.

She said in her complaint: “I used to worship Hindu deities at my home like any other Hindu married woman. But my husband and my father-in-law opposed it. Last week, they assaulted me severely.”

Said S. Dalei, a police official: “We are investigating the case and we will take action accordingly.”

SOURCE:http://dharma.sulekha.com