Bhubaneswar, Sept. 15: A 30-year-old woman, who recently came to spotlight after demanding social recognition as the wife of BJD's Talcher MLA Braja Kishore Pradhan and acceptance by her 'estranged husband', today attempted suicide in front of the Assembly.

The woman, Sonalika Mahanty, had on September 7 tried to commit suicide in front of the Naveen Nivas, the residence of Naveen Patnaik, by slicing her wrist with a blade.

Today, she consumed phenyl in front of the Assembly. Alerted, the police rushed to rescue her and admitted her to Capital Hospital.

'I have been demanding justice for months. But neither the police nor the chief minister is intervening in the matter. The police are dancing to the tunes of Pradhan. There are no options left before me apart from killing myself,' she told newspersons at the hospital.

Mahanty works as a librarian in an autonomous college in Cuttack district. On September 7, deputy commissioner of police (security) Nirmal Satpathy had spotted her profusely bleeding and rushed her to the Capital Hospital. On that day, Mahanty had warned that she would again attempt to end her life.

'I challenge Pradhan to file a case against me and face me,' she said.

On May 17, Mahanty had entered Pradhan's residence at Unit-IV and had smashed flowerpots and windowpanes there. She had also sat on a dharna on May 9 in front of Pradhan's Talcher residence demanding that he accepts her as his wife.

She claimed that Pradhan had married her at Jagannath Temple in Puri on April 5, 2015, with the consent of both the families. However, Pradhan has denied the allegations levelled by Mahanty.

The police said that Mahanty would be booked under Section 309 (attempt to commit suicide) of Indian Penal Code.