Cuttack, May 25: At a time when society claims to have moved beyond gender discrimination, an incident from Odisha’s Cuttack district has once again exposed the harsh reality still faced by many women after giving birth to girl children.

A couple was allegedly assaulted by family members in Pasulunda village under Mahanga block after the woman gave birth to twin daughters. The incident, which reportedly took place in full public view, has triggered outrage after a video of the assault went viral on social media.

According to reports, Parbati Jena of Kanpur village had married Chandra Sekhar Jena of Pasulunda village around four years ago following traditional Vedic rituals. The couple recently welcomed twin daughters, born nearly a month ago.

However, soon after the birth of the children, Parbati allegedly began facing mental and physical harassment from her in-laws, including her father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who were reportedly unhappy over the birth of girl children.

Parbati alleged that after returning home from the hospital, her mother-in-law refused to hold the newborns and made objectionable remarks over the birth of twin daughters. She further claimed that tensions escalated during an argument a few days ago, following which both she and her husband were physically assaulted by family members. Her husband was allegedly attacked when he tried to oppose the harassment.

The woman also alleged that when her family members reached the village after being informed about the incident, they too were assaulted in public view. The entire episode was reportedly captured on video, which later surfaced on social media.

Following the incident, the couple lodged a written complaint at Mahanga police station against the husband’s parents and other family members. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the allegations.