The festive season in Sundaragada district has been overshadowed by a wave of violence following a tragic domestic incident in Nakadihi village, under the jurisdiction of Lephripada police station.
A 38-year-old woman, Aarti Bhitriap, lost her life after being brutally beaten by her intoxicated husband, Kishore Bhitriap (42), following a heated argument late at night.
According to police reports, the couple lived together with their young son, while their eldest daughter is married and living with her in-laws, and their younger daughter works away from home. On the night of the incident, Kishore returned home in an inebriated state, which sparked a fierce verbal altercation with Aarti. The argument quickly escalated into extreme violence when Kishore, overcome with rage, picked up a wooden stick and brutally assaulted his wife. Aarti sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot.
Upon receiving information about the incident, local police promptly arrived at the scene, recovered the body, and sent it to the District Headquarters Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Following the autopsy, the body was handed over to the grieving family members.
The accused husband was swiftly apprehended by the police, produced in court, and subsequently remanded to judicial custody after his bail plea was rejected. This horrific incident has heightened security concerns in the region, as Sundargarh district reels from an alarming spike in violent crime, recording three separate murder cases within just four days during the festive period.
