At a time when the BJP government is facing backlash over a spurt in crime against women and minors, a 15-year-old girl student was allegedly set ablaze in broad daylight on Saturday by three motorcycle-borne miscreants in a village in Odisha’s Puri district, sparking fresh outrage across the state.
The crime occurred at a deserted roadside spot on the Haripur-Balanga road near Bayabar village under Balanga police station jurisdiction. The miscreants stuffed a handkerchief in the victim’s mouth and dragged her to the crime spot. Later, they poured inflammable substances and set her afire. Wearing masks, they swiftly fled from the spot as the victim in flames ran for life.
Hearing screams, locals rushed to rescue the victim. By the time police arrived to shift her to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, the victim had sustained 70% burn injury.
The latest incident comes close on the heels of the death of a female undergraduate student from Balasore FM College. She died by self-immolation after her complaint of sexual harassment by a teacher was ignored by government agencies. The self-immolation had grabbed national media headlines and triggered a statewide shutdown following a call by the INDIA bloc. The opposition BJD also continues to stage protests on a daily basis, seeking justice for the bereaved family.
The horrifying nature of the crime has yet again thoroughly laid bare the grim ground reality that the state is slowly turning into an unsafe place for women and girl children. Slack law enforcement has virtually emboldened the crime mongers to strike at fresh targets, commented Rabi Narayan Paraminik, a retired government official from Bhubaneswar.
“The burn victim has been received at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar emergency ward in critical condition. She has sustained approximately 70% total body surface area burns. Her health condition is critical. Best available treatment is being provided to her”, AIIMS authorities said in a statement.
The accused persons are yet to be identified. Police are on the job to identify and arrest the miscreants at the earliest, said Director General of Police, Y.B.Khurania.
“Special squad has been constituted to nab the culprits. Scientific team and dog squad are at the crime spot to elicit vital medico-legal evidence. Police investigation is underway on a priority basis and all possible angles of the crime are being looked into”, said Puri Superintendent of Police, Pinak Mishra.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parid, expressing deep anguish over the incident, said police have also been directed to arrest the culprits immediately and take stringent action against them.
Meanwhile, scores of politicians, both from the ruling and the opposition, have made a beeline to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. With each politician flanked by group of loyalists, the hospital is witnessing a sudden rush, much to the worry of hospital authorities.
Condemning the horrible crime, former chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik said, “It shows how Odisha is becoming highly unsafe for women due to government inaction and political patronage”.
It has happened just within a week of the terrible incident of a young girl setting herself ablaze in FM College after she was denied justice–even after knocking on every door, and a month after the horrific incident in Gopalpur, Patnaik stated in ‘X’ handle.
“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 concluded.