BERHAMPUR: The soul-stirring image of Chaturbhuja Banka carrying the dead body of his sister-in-law, tied to the middle bar of his bicycle, to the grave yard will haunt the Krushnapalli village in Boudh district for all times to come.
The realisation dawned on the villagers as the incident hogged the headlines on Thursday and they rushed to make amends with the local Sarpanch handing over Rs 2,000 under Harischandra Yojana scheme for performing final rites of the deceased. Political parties too made a beeline to the village sensing an opportunity to make political capital from the tragedy.
But in the midst of all these, Chaturbhuja, the man wronged, went about carrying out his responsibilities completely unaffected by the developments. With not a moment to lose in mourning or agitation, he was at the bedside of his ailing wife Beda, undergoing treatment at the Boudh Hospital.
As details about the incident and the life of Chaturbhuja emerge, he stands tall as a hero and a symbol of humanity. Poor with meagre means of survival, the man never ditched his commitment to his family and relations even though it meant being outcast from the society.
His bad days started around five years ago when his uncle opted for second marriage outside their caste. As per the existing custom, the villagers ostracised the uncle’s family and as Chaturbhuja defied the diktat, he too was outcast. Around a year ago, his uncle died and Chatrubhuja brought his aunty who became mentally disturbed to his home. This further angered the villagers who accused him of confining his aunty to get her property.
However, the accusations had no impact on Chaturbhuja. But, unable to tolerate the behaviour of villagers, his two sons left for other States. Soon after, his father-in-law and mother-in-law passed away leaving behind his sister-in-law Pancha alone in their house.
It’s duty as usual for the man in limelight
The man devoted to his family did not think twice before bringing her home. That he had to arrange for his wife, daughter, a mentally unstable aunt and now an added member was not a worry for him.On July 31, both Beda and Pancha suffered from diarrhoea and were admitted to Boudh hospital. However, Pancha died in the morning.
The hospital provided the ambulance to shift the body to his house but no one in the village came forward to lend their shoulder to carry the corpse to the graveyard. Assisted by his daughter, Chaturbhuja tied the body to his cycle and took to the grave yard. He then returned to the hospital to attend to his ailing wife.
Meanwhile, the district administration has also come forward to his support. Boudh Sadar Block Development Officer on Thursday handed over `10,000 to Chaturbhuja from Red Cross Fund and assured to meet the treatment expenses of Beda. The ailing aunty has also been shifted to a shelter home by the administration.