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Orissa man locked up for 15 yrs freed
Published on Wed, Sep 20, 2006 at 00:11, Updated on Thu, Sep 21, 2006 at 15:50 in India section
Tags: Orissa, Locked Man , Angul
Angul (Orissa): The Orissa government awards thousands of rupees every year as incentive to promote inter-caste marriages. Narattam Sethi, 36, married outside his caste and the reward was 15 years of captivity in a room.
Sethi, 36, can't speak very coherently. It's hard to believe that 15 years ago Narattam was a good student who even offered tuitions to others. But life took a very different turn when he married Padmabati belonging to a lower caste. Narattam's family didn't accept her and Padmati finally left him.
"There were arguments in the family because I belong to a lower caste, so I decided to leave," says Padmabati. Narattam became violent after Padmabati left and his family allegedly confined him to a dark room. The police rescued him after reports in the local media. But Narattam's father, Banchanidhi Sethi, insists he didn’t imprison his son in the room.
"We didn't keep him under lock and key. He wanted to be in that room and locked himself in," says Banchanidhi.
The local administration is investigating the case. "He lived in a room which was not habitable for a human being. He spent 15 years in that dark room," says Madhusudan Das, the Tehsildar of Chhendipada Block
Narattam reportedly didn't leave the room even once in 15 years. The family’s neighbours say his parents gave him food through a tiny hole in the wall. No action has been taken yet against Narattam's family but investigations are on.
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