In another self-immolation death in Odisha, a 13-year-old schoolgirl dies after allegedly setting herself on fire at a village in Bargarh district. The incident, the fourth of its kind in the state in less than a month, has sparked public outrage and drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties.
Police reported that the girl succumbed to her burn injuries on Monday while undergoing treatment at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla.
Bolangir SP Abilash G, who is in charge of Bargarh, informed that an unnatural death case has been registered based on the complaint of her family members. “We are investigating the reasons behind the girl taking the extreme step,” the SP said.
A three-member police team has been formed to probe the incident, he said, adding that police have recovered a video regarding the girl.
Northern Range IGP Himanshu Lal, who is looking over the investigation of the case, said that the police officials are examining a video related to the girl and are exploring various angles, including domestic disputes and strained friendships.
The girl, a Class 8 student, was staying in a hostel and had come to her maternal uncle’s house, where she took the extreme step, Lal said. Her father is a migrant worker in Tamil Nadu.
Earlier in the day on Monday, villagers rescued the minor girl from a football ground at Phiringmal village within Gaisilat police station limits in Bargarh district in a half-burnt condition.
She was immediately rushed to Bargarh district headquarters hospital and later shifted to VIMSAR, Burla.
The IGP said different teams have been formed and the investigation is being carried out.
Police said that they have been interrogating several people, including a local shopkeeper who allegedly sells petrol in the village.
Besides, the girl’s distant relatives are also being questioned in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, separate delegations of opposition BJD and Congress reached the hospital and also at the village of the deceased girl’s maternal uncle.
The victim was studying at an ashram school and had come to her maternal uncle’s house some days ago. She was keeping unwell for some time and under treatment at Padampur hospital, a police officer said, adding that her father stays in Tamil Nadu as a migrant labourer.
The exact cause of the girl’s death is yet to be ascertained. The IFP said that the investigation is underway and post-mortem and scientific team reports are awaited before reaching any conclusion on the cause of her death.
In a statement, BJD expressed concern over a series of women burning incidents at Balasore, Balanga (Puri), Kendrapara and now in Bargarh districts. The party blamed the police administration for the repeat of incidents.
“The IIC and the SP of Balasore district are still in charge, though the FIR was not registered, and they did nothing when the FM College student lodged a complaint,” the BJD said.
Similarly, in the Balanga incident, the police have not arrested the accused mentioned by the family initially. “But minutes after the death of the minor girl, the Police issued a gag order. Every day, such instances are coming out because of institutional silence,” the BJD alleged.
“The chief minister should understand that law and order has collapsed under him. As he is not capable of handling the Home department, he should assign it to somebody else,” the BJD said, adding that suicide is certainly not a solution, but to stop that, the system has to respond, which is not happening in Odisha at the moment.
The BJD also targeted Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan for blaming opposition parties for raising the issue. “The Law minister should realise that tall talk does not facilitate good governance. When governance takes a back seat, people become helpless. That seems to be the greatest gift of double-engine government in Odisha,” the BJD said.
OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das condemned the state government for “lack of sensitivity”, for which young women are dying by self-immolation.
The girl’s death in Bargarh school is the latest incident and it follows the deaths of three other women who self-immolated since July 12.
Earlier on July 12, a 20-year-old woman student in Balasore set herself on fire in her college campus and died undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14.
On July 19, a minor girl was allegedly set on fire by three miscreants in Puri’s Balanga and died at AIIMS Delhi on August 2.
On August 6, third such incident took place in Kendrapara district where a third-year undergraduate woman college student’s charred body was found from her house under Pattamundai (rural) police station area.
