The death of Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Biswajit Sethi has triggered controversy in Odisha after another woman, claiming to be his second wife, received his body and performed the cremation before his wife arrived at the hospital.
Biswajit, 47, belonged to Patnagarh in Bolangir district and served in the 6th Battalion of the Odisha Armed Police. He married Jyotsna Sethi of Kuarmunda, Sundargarh, in April 2013. The couple has a teenage daughter, but has been living separately since 2022.
Biswajit stayed in a rented house at Pratapnagari in Cuttack, while Jyotsna lived in Rourkela, working at a private hospital. On Thursday afternoon, battalion authorities informed Jyotsna about her husband’s death. She immediately left for Cuttack with her daughter and relatives. When she reached SCB Medical College and Hospital, she discovered that the body had already been handed over to another woman who introduced herself as Biswajit’s wife and had conducted the last rites.
Reports indicate that Biswajit consumed pesticide at his rented house on Wednesday. Doctors admitted him to SCB Medical College in critical condition, but he died at 12.15 pm on Thursday. After the post-mortem, officials released the body to the woman claiming to be his second wife.
Jyotsna expressed shock and said she had no knowledge of any second marriage. The incident has raised questions about procedural lapses, family rights, and the handling of sensitive cases involving multiple claims of marital status.
