Kamal Ghorui
BHOPAL: The central jail in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district is, perhaps, the last place one would imagine love to bloom. But so it happened.What made it even more special is that the blessed couple — Firoza Khatoon, assistant jail superintendent at Satna Central Jail and Dharmendra Singh alias Abhilash, a former life convict who served his sentence in the same prison facility — put a ring on their relationship and even exchanged nuptial vows.What started with curious conversations over prison files inside the guarded corridors of the correctional facility eventually blossomed into a real-life love story straight out of a Bollywood script.Wooed and eventually swept off her feet, Firoza married Dharmendra at a wedding solemnised in accordance with Hindu rituals, complete with the chanting of Vedic hymns, in Chhatarpur district on May 5.The wedding at Lavkushnagar in Chhatarpur has since become the talk of the town, with many calling it a Bollywood rip-off.According to officials in the know of how the love story unfolded, Firoza, a native of Rewa, was posted as warrant in-charge at Satna Central Jail when Dharmendra was serving a life sentence in a high-profile murder case.As a reward for his good conduct, Dharmendra was asked to assist in warrant-related paperwork and clerical duties, bringing him into regular contact with the jail officer.What began as routine interaction during official work slowly grew into friendship and later a relationship, sources said.
Dharmendra, a resident of Chandla in Chhatarpur district, had been convicted in the 2007 murder of Krishna Dutt Dixit, then vice-chairman of Chandla Nagar Parishad. Investigators had alleged that the body was buried after the murder to conceal the crime.The case made headlines across the region at the time.Dharmendra was sentenced to life imprisonment and spent nearly 14 years behind bars before being released around four years ago because of good conduct.Even after his release from prison, the two remained in contact, sources said, adding that over time, they decided to marry despite knowing their relationship could face resistance from relatives and society at large.Sources said several relatives of Firoza opposed the union and chose not to attend the wedding.In the absence of her family members, Rajbahadur Mishra, the leader of a rightwing outfit, stepped in to perform the ‘Kanyadaan’ (a Hindu wedding ritual where the bride’s father ceremonially entrusts his daughter’s responsibility to the groom).Soon after the wedding, photographs of the bride in traditional attire standing beside the former convict spread rapidly across social media and WhatsApp groups, turning the couple into local celebrities overnight.Inside Satna Central Jail, too, the marriage became one of the biggest talking points among prison staff and inmates. Several officials familiar with the couple congratulated them on their marriage.
