Indian woman discovers her husband to be woman after a year

Twenty-six year-old Minati Khatua of Rourkela lived with her husband for more than a year only to discover that ‘he’ was a woman. Minati has lodged an FIR at the Sector 7 police station in Rourkela against her ‘husband’. Minati, who was on a visit to her sister’s place in Rourkela two months before her marriage was approached by Sitakant Routray, a 28-year-old youth who claimed to be a friend of her brother. “He somehow had my mobile number and kept calling me now and then,” Minati said. Soon, Sitakant, who worked as a salesman for private firm, proposed Minati for marriage and approached her family.

“He had impressed everyone in my family and they willingly agreed to our marriage,” said Minati. However, when Sitakant was asked to call his parents for talks, he seemed to avoid and made excuses. “After repeated requests from our side, he brought along two persons with him and introduced them as his aunt and brother. It was later that we came to know that they were not his real relatives,” she said. The aunt and brother were the only members present during their wedding on 14 September, 2009. The marriage was later registered in court and the so-called ‘aunt’ and ‘brother’ stood witness from the groom’s side.



Besides the traditional gold ornaments, Sitakant received an Indica car and cash worth Rs 25,000 as dowry from the bride’s family. The couple then started living at the Gualghar area of Sector 5. However, Sitakant avoided any physical relationship with Minati on the pretext of some religious vow. “He would say that there was some mansik he had,” said Minati. In August this year, Sitakant’s family, including his mother, brothers and sisters visited Rourkela. “While others left, his mother stayed back with us for two months. The way she enquired me about our married life led me to be suspicious,” said Minati.

“Ever since, I would try hard to find out and confirm his gender but failed repeatedly. However, one day I managed to force open the bathroom door when he was having a bath. My worst fears came true. He was a woman,” she added. However, Sitakant started crying and pleaded for forgiveness. He admitted that he had done a mistake and said he would come out with a ‘compromise’. “His brothers would call me up threatening to kill me and my family members if I inform others that my husband is a female. I was in a complete disaster. Finally I decided to approach the police today,” said Minati. The police detained two persons in connection with the case but later let them free. Inspector-in-charge of Sector 7 police station Jyotirmaya Hota said that a case has been registered and they are investigating into it.