Woman Attempts Suicide By Jumping Into Funeral Fire In Odisha’s Puri

Puri:  An instance of the already abolished Sati practice, better known as Satidaha pratha, which was prevalent in the pre-independence colonial age, was recently witnessed in this district of Odisha. A woman attempted to commit suicide by jumping in to the funeral pyre of her husband at Swargadwara in the holy town.

As per reports, a married woman was seen rushing into the funeral pyre of her husband to immolate herself in the funeral fire on Thursday night. However, the locals managed to restrain her at the right moment. However, till then she had sustained grievous burn injury and hence was rushed to the District Head Quarter Hospital.

Identity of the woman is yet to be ascertained. Since the lady seems mentally ill it also could not be verified whether her husband was in the funeral pyre or somebody else while the people present there said that it was her husband’s pyre.

While the exact reason behind the attempt by the woman is yet to be ascertained it has been believed that she attempted to do so after being deeply grieved.

People who saved the woman believed that the woman is mentally ill and did not had any idea about the consequence of the attempt on her.

It is to be noted that Sati practice among Hindu communities were prevalent in the 17th century where a recently widowed woman, either voluntarily or by force, used to immolate herself on her deceased husband’s pyre.

There have been many instances of how the widows were shunned in India and therefore, the only solution for a life without husband was to practice Sati as it was considered to be the highest expression of wifely devotion to a dead husband.

However, the Bengal Sati Regulation which banned the Sati practice in all jurisdictions of British India was passed on December 4, 1829 by the then Governor-General Lord William Bentinck. And hence the practice was strictly prohibited.