Bhubaneswar, July 19: Little seems to have changed on the ground for women and their safety in the State India after self-immolation of a college student in Balasore.
A 15-year-old girl was set on fire by three miscreants in Bayabar village under Balanga police station of Puri district on Saturday morning, leaving her in critical condition at AIIMS Bhubaneswar with severe burn injuries on her hands, legs, and parts of her torso.
The incident occurred when the girl was walking to her friend’s house for to give her some notes. The attackers poured petrol on her and set her ablaze before fleeing the scene.
Local residents rushed to help the victim, extinguished the fire, and transported her to the Pipili hospital. She was later shifted to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar as her condition deteriorated.
Meanwhile, expressing such over the incident, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said that the Government will bear all the expenses of the treatment of the girl.
“I am saddened and shocked to hear the news that some miscreants at Balanga in Puri district poured petrol on a fifteen-year-old girl on the road and set her on fire,” Parida posted on X.
“The girl has been immediately shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, and all arrangements are being made for her treatment. All the expenses of the treatment will be borne by the Government. The police administration has been directed to arrest the culprits immediately and take strict action,” the Deputy Chief Minister, who also holds the Women and Child Development portfolio, added.
Meanwhile, police rushed to the village and launched an investigation into the incident.
According to reports, the attack occurred around 8.30 AM when the girl had stepped out to deliver books to a friend.
Three unidentified youths intercepted her near a desolate stretch along the Bhargavi River road. Eyewitnesses stated that the girl was lifted and set ablaze by the trio.
This incident comes close on the heels of another tragic case in Balasore, where a girl student from Fakir Mohan College died of self immolation.
On July 14, a 20-year-old student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College, Balasore, passed away after suffering 90% burns in an immolation bid. The B.Ed student had taken the extreme step outside the Principal’s office after her repeated complaints of sexual harassment, against a senior teacher Samir Kumar Sahu, went unheard.
