Woman jailer falls in love with prisoner:Couple ties the knot after he completes life term; VHP performs ‘kanyadaan’

Satna Central Jail assistant superintendent Firoza Khatoon has married Dharmendra alias Abhilash, a man who had earlier served a sentence in a murder case, in a Hindu ceremony held in Madhya Pradesh’s Lavkush Nagar on May 5. The marriage has drawn attention in the region, particularly because Abhilash had served a life sentence and was released from prison around four years ago. According to local accounts, Khatoon’s Muslim family members opposed the relationship and did not attend the wedding ceremony. In their absence, Rajbahadur Mishra, district vice-president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad in Satna, and his wife performed the ‘kanyadaan’. Members of Bajrang Dal were also present at the ceremony. According to sources, Firoza Khatoon was serving as the warrant in-charge during her posting at Satna Central Jail. At the same time, Abhilash, who was serving a sentence in a murder case, was assigned work related to prison warrants inside the jail. It was during this period that the two came in contact and began speaking regularly. Their interaction later developed into a friendship and eventually a relationship. After Abhilash was released from prison, the two decided to get married. Convicted in 2007 murder case, released after 14 years in jail Abhilash, a resident of Chandla, had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a high-profile 2007 murder case involving then Chandla Nagar Parishad vice-president Krishna Dutt Dixit. He was convicted of killing Dixit and burying the body in the ground. After spending nearly 14 years in prison, he was released on the basis of good conduct. Couple married amid Vedic chants The wedding was solemnised in Lavkush Nagar according to Hindu rituals and amid Vedic chants. After news of the marriage surfaced, officials, staff members and inmates of Satna Central Jail also congratulated the newlywed couple. The marriage has become a major talking point in the region, with discussions centred around love, social barriers and a relationship that crossed religious lines.