Days after student’s death sparked outrage, teen set on fire in Odisha

Days after a 20-year-old college student died by self-immolation in Odisha’s Balasore district following allegations of sexual harassment by a professor, a 15-year-old girl was set on fire by unidentified assailants in Puri district on Saturday, officials said.

The girl is undergoing treatment at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and she is in a critical condition, having suffered 70 per cent burn injuries, but she is able to speak, they said.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday said the state government is considering airlifting the 15-year-old girl to AIIMS-Delhi for advanced medical care.

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is in charge of the Women and Child Development Department, said the government will bear the expenses of the girl’s treatment and that the police have been asked to arrest the culprits as soon as possible.

BJD supremo and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Naveen Patnaik expressed deep anguish over the incident and said such cases point to a systemic failure of governance.

The incident took place at Bayabar village around 9 am when the girl was returning from her friend’s house.

Preliminary investigation revealed that three unidentified motorcycle-borne youths intercepted her, forcibly took her to the banks of the Bhargavi river, poured an inflammable substance on her and set her on fire, a police officer said.

The crime spot is around 1.5 km from her house at Nuagopalpur Bustee and around 5-7 km from the Balanga police station.

The miscreants fled the spot after setting the girl on fire. Local people doused the fire and later took her to Pipili government hospital, from where she was shifted to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar.

The girl’s parents lodged an FIR with the Balanga police station, the officer said, adding she was a Class VIII dropout and her father works at an automobile repair workshop.

AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, formed a 14-member team of doctors for the proper treatment of the girl.

Odisha Director General of Police YB Khurania asserted that the police would soon nab the accused persons.

Pipili Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Debasish Mishra said the girl suffered burn injuries on her back, abdomen and other parts.

“Two teams have been formed to nab the culprits. We are trying to search for clues from CCTV cameras installed in private homes,” he said.

CM launches ‘Shaktishree’ for girls’ safety

• Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday launched ‘Shaktishree’, a state-wide initiative to ensure the safety

  and empowerment of women in universities and colleges.

• As part of the initiative, every institution will have a ‘Shaktishree Empowerment Cell’ — a student-led body coordinated by a woman faculty member and a female student.
• Each district will further nominate five senior women professionals, called ‘Shakti Apas’, who will mentor students and visit campuses every three months.
• A dedicated mobile app will also be launched that will offer a secure platform for women students and staff to register complaints anonymously and seek mental health services.

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