Another Minor girl in Odisha set ablaze by miscreants, days after Balasore Rape Case.

In a shocking incident, unidentified miscreants allegedly set a minor girl on fire in the Bayabar area under Nimapara Tehsil of Puri district this morning. The 15 year old girl, who sustained nearly 60% burn injuries, was initially rushed to the Pipili hospital by local villagers and later shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment.

According to key eye witnesses, the girl was on her way to a friend’s house when the assailants intercepted her, poured kerosene on her, and set her ablaze. The attackers fled the scene immediately after committing the heinous crime.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the culprits. A fact-finding team from the Odisha Congress visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar and spoke with the victim’s family.

Former Pipili MLA Rudra Pratap Maharathy has strongly condemned the incident and demanded stringent action against those responsible.

Meanwhile, Former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik has strongly condemned the brutal incident today. In a statement issued here, Patnaik said he was deeply anguished to learn that such a heinous attempt to kill a minor took place in broad daylight. “This has occurred just a week after the heart-wrenching self-immolation of a girl at Fakir Mohan College, who took the extreme step after being denied justice despite knocking on every door. And only a month ago, a college girl was reportedly gang-raped by a group of youths at Gopalpur beach”, he said.

Patnaik pointed out that such unthinkable acts of violence against women are now being reported almost daily across Odisha. “These are not isolated incidents. The recurring nature of these crimes clearly points to a deep systemic failure in governance”, he remarked. The former Chief Minister said the criminals appear emboldened under the current government, seemingly unafraid of any consequences. As the Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, Patnaik asserted that the state is becoming increasingly unsafe for women due to what he called government inaction and political patronage.

“Will the Odisha Government finally wake up from its deep slumber and act swiftly to arrest the perpetrators? More importantly, will it take real steps to ensure such horrific incidents are not repeated?” The women and girls of Odisha are waiting for answers“, Patnaik concluded.

Meanwhile, a bulletin from AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, said the burn victim girl has been received at AIIMS Bhubaneswar emergency in a critical condition. The minor girl, aged about 15 years, has suffered approximately 70% total body surface area (TBSA) burns and has been shifted to the Burn Centre.

Team Maverick