In another case of self-immolation in Odisha, a 37-year-old woman in Puri district is in critical condition after attempting to set herself on fire on Wednesday.
This marks sixth such incident involving a woman in the state in just over a month. Of the six cases, four women, including two minors, have died.
The latest incident occurred at a rented house in Puri’s Pipili town while the woman’s husband and daughter were away. According to a police officer, the woman, who was reportedly under a heavy debt burden, used kerosene to set herself ablaze.
She was initially taken to a local hospital by the local and then transferred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar as she suffered 70 per cent to 80 per cent burn injuries, family sources said.
Puri Additional SP Sachin Patel said the police official have found a bottle used to carry kerosene, a handwritten suicide note and a match box from the house.
“During preliminary investigation, we found that she made an attempt to die by suicide due to debt burden. In the suicide note, however, she has not blamed anyone,” Patel said.
Urmila Mohapatra, a member of the State Commission for Women (SCW), on Thursday visited AIIMS Bhubaneswar to record her statement. However, she failed to do it as the patient was not in a condition to speak.
“As per statements of her family members, the woman was found burnt when her husband was not in the home. They have also said that there is no family dispute,” Mohapatra said.
This is the sixth case of a woman or girl attempting or dying by self-immolation in various districts since July 12, with reasons ranging from alleged sexual harassment to family disputes and financial distress.
On July 12, a student in Balasore district set herself on fire inside her college and died two days later. She had accused a teacher of sexual harassment.
A 15-year-old girl from Puri district, who was set on fire on July 19, died on August 2. Her family initially complained that three unidentified miscreants were behind the incident. The police, however, said no one else was involved.
A college student in Kendrapara district died on August 6 after allegedly immolating herself at her home, reportedly due to blackmail by her ex-boyfriend. She died on the spot.
A 13-year-old schoolgirl in Bargarh district died on August 12 after setting herself on fire in her village. She died while undergoing treatment at a hospital.
On August 13, a woman of Dhenkanal district set herself ablaze after a quarrel in the family. She is undergoing treatment in a hospital.
