We Were Planning Court Marriage This Month, Says Deceased Actress Rashmirekha’s Live-In Partner Santosh

Bhubaneswar: The deceased Odia television actress Rashmirekha Ojha’s live-in partner Santosh Patra has said they were planning to apply for registration of their marriage in court towards end of this month.

Speaking to media persons after being questioned by police in Bhubaneswar on Friday, Santosh said he and Rashmirekha were not legally married but were in live-in relationship.

“We had married in a temple and were living like husband and wife. We had planned to apply for registration of our marriage in the court in the last week of this month,” Santosh, who works in a finance company, said.

Stating that he had talked to the actress over phone on June 17 night, Santosh said he came to know about her death from the media next day. Claiming that he did not have any role in the alleged suicide of Rashmirekha, he said he did not know why she took the extreme step.

When asked why he was absconding for a week since Rashmirekha’s death on June 18, Santosh avoided the question and remained silent. He also did not reveal what the police asked him during the questioning by a team led by ACP.

It may be noted that the police had issued a summon to Santosh to appear at Nayapalli police station in connection with the case. Rashmirekha’s father had lodged a complaint at the police station, alleging that Santosh had killed his daughter out of jealousy as he was not happy that she was in touch with her former boyfriend and television actor Raja.

The police had grilled Raja in connection with the case on Thursday. His name had cropped up after an audio clip of a purported conversation between the actress and Santosh went viral on Monday. The actor admitted to being in a relationship with Rashmirekha, who had tattooed his name on her hand, in the past.

The actress was found hanging in her rented accommodation in Bhubaneswar on June 18.