ManguJyoti

Mangu Kumar Sahoo was born and raised in a family originally from Kantalabai, a village in the Bhusandapur area of Khordha district, Odisha, India. A long-standing family dispute over land ownership led his parents - father Ajay Sahoo, a labourer, and mother Lata Sahoo, a homemaker - to relocate. The family subsequently spent approximately 17 years residing in a rented house in Mayurjhalia village, Nayagarh district, before later settling in Arishal, a village near Kamaguru Panchayat, Khordha district, where they have lived for the past five years. Shortly after his family moved to the Arishal area, Mangu became acquainted with a local youth named Rashmiranjan Jena, known by the nickname Banty. Though the two became friendly, Mangu eventually grew critical of Banty's behaviour toward women in the community. Observing Banty's persistent and unwelcome pursuit of a young woman named Jyothika Sahoo, Mangu intervened by sending her a friend request on Facebook on that same day. Jyothika accepted, and the two began communicating via Facebook Messenger. After a brief but meaningful exchange online, they agreed to meet in person. Their first meeting took place on 20 September 2021 at a branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Kamaguru village, Khordha district - Jyothika's home village. At the time, Mangu was 20 years old and Jyothika was 15 years old. Moved by an immediate connection, Mangu proposed to Jyothika at that first meeting. Surprised, she did not respond that day. The following day, 21 September 2021, during a second meeting at a roadside location in Kamaguru Panchayat, Jyothika accepted his proposal, and the two entered into a relationship. Jyothika Sahoo is the daughter of Gagan Bihari Baliarsingh, a tailor and garments shop owner, and Manjulata Baliarsingh, a homemaker. She enrolled in a local college for the first time on 1 October 2021. During her early college days, she befriended a classmate named Ajay Raul, also known as Ajju. Unbeknownst to Jyothika, Ajju had developed romantic feelings for her. When Mangu became aware of the situation - having seen them together at his father's garment shop - a confrontation followed. A verbal dispute escalated into a physical altercation on the college road. The matter was ultimately resolved through mediation led by Mangu's close friend, Lupun, with Ajju agreeing to cease contact with Jyothika. The two parties reconciled, and the matter was closed. Around this time, Jyothika also disclosed to Mangu that she had previously been in a brief relationship with a young man named Ramakant Behera, known as Sansari, during her tenth-standard schooling. She had ended that relationship upon learning of his unfaithful behaviour. Mangu, upon hearing this, sought out Sansari's contact and confronted him directly. The exchange became contentious, and Sansari eventually blocked Mangu's number.Despite the relationship growing stronger, it faced serious opposition from Jyothika's family. On 10 May 2022, the couple was discovered together near a forest close to her home by her parents and her younger sister, Madhusmita Baliarsingh. Following this discovery, Jyothika was confined to the family home and was prohibited from continuing her education after the 11th standard.After nearly nine months of sustained family opposition, and following a conversation in which Jyothika's father reportedly called Mangu and asked him to take her away, the couple made the decision to elope. On the evening of 9 February 2023, at approximately 6:36 PM, they left Kamaguru together and travelled to Siko, also within Khordha district. Jyothika informed her family of her departure before leaving. The couple took shelter at the home of Mangu's uncle and aunt. On the morning of their third day in hiding, Mangu's mother, Lata Sahoo, and sister, Rashmita Sahoo, decided that the couple should marry. The wedding took place on 12 February 2023 at Maa Mangala Temple in Raj Jankia village, Nayagarh district, Odisha. At the time of the ceremony, Mangu was 22 years old and Jyothika was 17 years old. Mangu is approximately 5 years, 7 months, and 13 days older than his wife. The couple's first child, a daughter named Elesha Sahoo, was born on 22 January 2024, nearly one year after their wedding.