Days After Balasore Girl Dies by Self-Immolation, Minor Girl Set on Fire by 3 Men in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: In yet another blow to the Mohan Majhi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha that is facing sustained attacks from the opposition over rise in crimes against women, a 16-year-old girl belonging to a minority community was set ablaze by miscreants in the Balanga police station area of Puri district early Saturday morning.

The area, about 40 kms from the state capital, falls under Nimapara constituency represented by deputy chief minister Pravati Parida.

Coming hard on the heels of the death of a college girl from Balasore, who died by self-immolation after failing to get justice in a sexual harassment case, this incident has added to the woes of the Majhi government with the two major opposition parties – Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress – demanding the resignation of the chief minister as well as Parida, who holds the women and child development portfolio.

The victim, who was waylaid by three men at Bayabar village while she was on her way to visit a relative and forcibly taken to the banks of the nearby Bhargavi river, has sustained 70% burn injuries and currently under treatment at the burns trauma unit of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. The girl comes from a poor family and dropped out of school after studying up to standard VIII.

Puri superintendent of police Pinak Mishra, who visited the crime spot, told media-persons that the miscreants threw some inflammable substance on the young girl. While the motive behind the crime is yet to be established, police have formed a special team (SIT) to nab the culprits who fled the spot when the girl started shouting for help.

The girl was rushed to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar with the help of locals. The executive director of the institute told media-persons that the minor girl being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital was “critical.”

“We have to keep her under observation for 48 -72 hours and monitor the condition of her vital organs,” said Dr. Ashutosh Biswas.

The hospital witnessed a chaotic situation as leaders of all the major parties including BJD and Congress descended on its campus and insisted on being allowed entry. Some of them alleged that while the ruling BJP leaders were allowed to go in they were being prevented from meeting the victim on the grounds of causing infection.

Political slugfest over the incident ensued with Congress leader Meenakshi Vahinipati describing the crime as shameful and a poor reflection on the law and order situation in the state. “Now no one can deny that women are not safe in Odisha. This government does not have the moral right to stay in power even for a second more. The deputy chief minister, who heads the women and child development department should also resign taking moral responsibility for the crime which took place in her area,” said Vahinipati.

Fiery BJD leader Lekhashree Samantasinghar, who was the party’s candidate from the Balasore Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 election, also came down heavily on the government, accusing it of failing to protect the honour and dignity of women. “This government has failed on every front but its biggest failure has been in the field of law and order, especially to check the rising crimes against women. Criminals now have no fear of the law enforcing agencies,” said Samantasinghar.

While Youth Congress leader Yashir Nawaz lamented the complete collapse of law and order in the state and accused the government of having slipped into a coma, BJD MLA from Bhubaneswar Sushant Rout described the crime as “ shameful and unfortunate.”

Expressing shock over the incident, leader of opposition and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote on his X handle: “Deeply anguished to know that a young girl was set on fire in Balanga area of Puri District. This attempt to kill her happened in broad daylight. I strongly condemn this horrible act. 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.

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. It shows how Odisha is becoming highly unsafe for women due to government inaction and political patronage.”

Patnaik, who was the chief minister of Odisha for 24 years, wondered when the trend of women being targeted by criminals would come to an end. “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,” he said.

Even as BJP leaders made feeble attempts to defend the government, the spurt in crime against women in Odisha is hard to deny. In the last month, there have been at least three cases of gang-rape, including the Gopalpur beach case where a college girl was sexually assaulted by a gang of three persons on the beach while seven of their accomplices kept her male friend pinioned.

The Congress, which has been conducting a sustained campaign on the issue, has alleged that there has been a steep rise in cases of rape since the BJP came to power in June 2024. “Incidents of rape and gang-rape have become common. Hundreds of women have gone missing in the state but no one cares,” said party’s state vice-president and former MLA Dr. Lalatendu Mohapatra.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the nationwide outrage over the death of the Balasore college girl, who had accused one of her teachers of sexually harassing her, the Odisha Government has asked all District Education Officers (DEOs) to ensure a safe environment for women employees and students, particularly girls in schools. The DEOs have been directed to implement relevant provisions under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

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