Bhubaneswar, Feb. 15: Former captain of Orissa Ranji team Prabhanjan Mallick, who was accused by his wife of assaulting her on Monday, was sent to judicial custody after a local court here rejected his bail plea.

Prabhanjan’s wife Cini Mohanty (31) had lodged a complaint with Mahila police station last evening alleging that her cricketer husband had been torturing her for dowry and had attempted to kill her by pushing her out of a moving car.

Prabhanjan was produced before the sub-divisional judicial magistrate, Debadatta Das Mohapatra’s court. The court rejected his bail plea and sent him to Jharpada jail.

His lawyer Raju Khuntia has already approached the district and sessions court. His bail plea will come up for hearing on February 16.

Mallick had to spent Monday night in the police station, as he was charged with Sections 498(A) (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 323 (for voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 307 (attempt to murder), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Cini Mohanty had married Prabhanjan in 2002. She alleged that her husband had physically assaulted her in his car after asking her to accompany him in it for a talk on Monday. He then allegedly threw her out of the car near PMG Square. Cini sustained injuries on her cheek and forehead. “He was heavily drunk,” said Cini.

She said her marriage had never been a happy one, as her in-laws had been torturing her from the very beginning. For the last four years, she had been staying with her parents in Bhimatangi. Their divorce petition has been pending in a family court for the past one year.

Police sources said the couple had approached the police earlier on a few occasions and used to leave after reaching a mutual understanding. “The couple were counselled by the Mahila police a month back after they came to the police after a quarrel,” said deputy commissioner of police Himanshu Lal.

A relative of Prabhanjan admitted that the relation between the two had never been good. They often indulged in quarrels. “They had a fight recently and Cini approached the police. After counselling them, the police sent them to Prabhanjan’s house. But after 15 days she left the house,” said Prabhanjan’s brother in law Santosh Mohanty.