Rape accused marries 16-year-old victim in jail

BARIPADA (ORISSA): A 24-year-old undertrial in Orissa has married a teenage girl whom he allegedly raped and got pregnant a few years ago.

The traditional tribal wedding between Padmini Murmu, 16, and Khaira Hansda was solemnised at the Circle Jail at Baripada, the district headquarters of Mayurbhanj, 250 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar, where Khaira is lodged on charges of rape, a jail official said.

Khaira and Padmini, residents of Adasila village, were students of Class VII in the local Adasila Nodal ME School. Padmini gave birth to a male child on November 1, 2006 - a child Khaira flatly denied having fathered.

Padmini and her family members registered a rape case against Khaira at the Kuliana police station after which he was jailed. Later, local social activists met Khaira and persuaded him to accept the child as his son.

After some initial protests, Khaira admitted that he was the father of the child and the wedding was organised in the jail.

Since the couple belongs to the Santali tribe, the marriage took place according to their traditional rituals in the presence of family members. The village head of the Santhal community of Adasila village solemnised the marriage, the jail official added.

All the 686 jail inmates, including Dara Singh who is convicted of murdering Australian Christian missionary Graham Stains and his two sons, attended the marriage.

Though Khaira will not be exempted from the rape charges after the marriage, he is likely to get bail, a legal expert said.