Santhal youth ties knot inside jail

Baripada, Apr 17 (UNI) Amid beating of kettle-drums, ''dhumsa'' to the accompaniment of merry music and playing of the ''Sanhai'', a santhali youth, inmate of the Baripada Circle Jail, tied the knot today inside the prison with the girl he allegedly raped.

Baripada Circle Jail Senior Superintendent Sibadas Chand said he convinced Khaira to accept Padmini, as he(Khaira) had fathered the baby born to Padmini in November last year.

Padmini was now an inmate in the short-stay home run by the Mayurbhanj based Rural Development Action Cell(RDAC).

The ''Baryatris'' (bridegroom's party) and the ''Kanyayatris'' (bride's party), came dancing in a procession to the jail where the marriage was solemnised at a specially-erected pedestal on the jail campus.

The ''Majhi Haalam'' Mahendra Majhi of Mangrajia village and Janmejoy Hembrom of Adasila village representing the bridegroom's and the bride's villages solemnised the marriage rituals.

They were received by Mr Chand and short-stay home secretary Bejoy Kumar Behera.

Mr Chand said 686 jail inmates exhibited utmost discipline and participated in the marriage celebrations, the first of its kind in the history of 122-year-old Baripada jail.

He said the unique ceremony was in consonance with the reformative and rehabilitation policies of the jail authorities.

Mr Behera said the RDAC was arranging a bail for Khaira Hansda from a local court.

The RDAC presented Rs 10,000 in cash and a sewing machine to the couple as part of their rehabilitation programme. One of the most significant aspects of the Santhal tribals' marriage traditions is that there was no dowry system practised by the tribe.

According to Santhal traditions, the bridegroom's father pays a ''bride price'' to the bride's father.

Khaira's brother paid a sum of Rs 3000 to the bride's father Karunakar Hembrom as the bride price.

The two tribal hamlets -- Mangrajia and Adasila under Kuliana police station limits of Mayurbhanj district were seen buzzing with brisk activities.

Village elders erected sylvan grottos, sparkling with leaves and flowers and encircles the place, with mango leaves stuck in coils of strings decorating the outdoor across the ''Kulhi''(village lanes) in both Mangrajia and Adasila villages.

UNI