In yet another case of horrifiying violence against women in BJP-ruled Odisha, a young girl was allegedly set on fire in Balanga area of Puri district, triggering massive public and political outrage with former chief minister Naveen Patnaik calling it a “deep systemic failure of governance”.
In a lenghty social media post on X, Patnaik expressed his anguish over the incident and slammed the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government for its “inaction and political patronage.”
“Such unthinkable incidents against women are now being reported almost daily across Odisha. These are not stray cases of violence. These incidents occurring with shocking regularity point to a deep systemic failure of governance. It shows that criminals have become emboldened under the present government and are not worried about being punished,” he said.
The former CM, who ruled Odisha for the longest time in the state’s history, further added, “It shows how Odisha is becoming highly unsafe for women due to government inaction and political patronage. Will the Odisha Govt wake up from this deep slumber and take speedy action so that the criminals are arrested? And more importantly will the government respond so that such incidents are not repeated? The girls and women of Odisha await a response.”
The Balanga incident comes close on the heels of Balasore student’s tragic death. The student had set herself on fire allegedly after her complaint of sexual harassment against the college professor was ignored.
She had also made public appeals to Odisha CM, the state education minister and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, but her cries for justice fell on deaf ears, prompting her to take the drastic step.