Jajpur: A wedding ceremony at a temple in Odisha’s Jajpur district turned into a scene of high drama when police intervened and detained the groom right from the mandap (wedding altar) before the rituals could be completed.
The dramatic intervention followed a formal complaint lodged by the groom’s legally wedded first wife, who arrived at the venue to halt the proceedings. Dharmasala police swiftly stepped in, halting the ceremony and taking the groom to the police station for questioning.
According to sources, the groom, identified as Bibhudendu Padhi from Patamundai area of Kendrapada district, was preparing to tie the knot for a second time with a long-time partner at Trinath temple in Jaraka area under the Dharmasala police limits. However, his first wife, Suchismita Panda, a resident of Sundarpada who currently lives in the Hi-Tech area of Bhubaneswar, reached with her family memebers. Suchismita stated that the two married on November 24, 2017, according to Hindu rituals, and are parents to a eight-year-old daughter.
She stated that marital discord had surfaced due to her husband’s alleged extramarital relationship, and legal proceedings, including a divorce case, are pending before a court. She claimed having filed a complaint at Mahila police station in Bhubaneswar in May 2025 over her husband’s alleged extramarital relationship and added that police had already filed a chargesheet in the case. She further stated that her husband’s family had failed to attend counselling despite receiving notices on four occasions.
Suchismita also alleged that Bibhudendu’s family misrepresented his professional qualifications prior to the marriage, claiming he was a chartered accountant when he had not actually cleared his final examinations. She also accused her in-laws of demanding dowry post-wedding, stating that her father, a priest with limited income, managed to provide gold ornaments, including two chains, rings, and a bracelet. “We are not legally divorced yet, but he decided to marry his longtime girlfriend without following any legal procedures,” Suchismita told the media, demanding strict legal action against her husband for attempting to solemnise a second marriage while their matrimonial dispute remains sub judice.
While her allegations remain unverified, Bibhudendu’s response was unavailable at the time of publication.
