Girl set on fire by miscreants fights for life, curbs at AIIMS Bhubaneswar amid political standoff

Bhubaneswar: A 15-year-old girl, set ablaze by unidentified miscreants in Odisha’s Puri district on Saturday, is in critical condition with 70 per cent burns but remains conscious and is undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, officials said.

The incident took place around 9 am on the banks of Bhargabi river near Bayabar village in Balanga police station when the girl was returning from her friend's house.

She is critical and currently on oxygen support in the ICU but talking, said AIIMS Bhubaneswar executive director Ashutosh Biswas.

He said next 48 hours are vital for the patient.

As the victim was able to speak, her statement was recorded by police in the presence of a magistrate.

Meanwhile, the institute has formed a 14-member team of doctors for the girl's treatment.

In a late-night development, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) at AIIMS campus, following a tense face-off between BJP, BJD and Congress supporters.

While the BJD and Congress leaders alleged that saffron party leaders were allowed entry into the burns department where the 15-year-old girl was being treated, the ruling party members opposed it.

BJD's main demand is to airlift the girl tonight to AIIMS-Delhi, otherwise she will die like the Balasore victim, former MP Pradeep Majhi said.

According to officials, three platoons (90 personnel) of security forces have been deployed at the AIIMS campus here.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said he was monitoring girl's health condition and requested AIIMS Bhubaneswar authorities to make plans for airlifting the girl to AIIMS Delhi for better treatment.

He assured that strongest possible action would be taken against the accused under the provisions of the law.

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is in charge of the Women and Child Development Department, said the government will bear the expenses of the girl's treatment and that police have been asked to arrest the culprits as soon as possible.

The incident adds to the BJP government’s troubles, coming shortly after a 20-year-old FM College student in Balasore self-immolated on July 12 over sexual harassment and died on July 14. It also follows the mid-June gang rape of a college student in Gopalpur, further embarrassing the state.

Following the latest incident, the women and youth wing of Congress staged demonstrations before Parida’s residence as it took in her assembly constituency.

BJD supremo and leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, expressed deep anguish over the incident and said such cases point to a systemic failure of governance.

Preliminary investigation revealed that three motorcycle-borne youths intercepted the teenager, forcibly took her to the banks of Bhargavi River, poured an inflammable substance on her, and set her on fire, a police officer said, adding that the spot of the incident is around 1.5 km from the girl’s house at Nuagopalpur Bustee and around 5-7 km from Balanga police station.

The miscreants fled the spot after setting the girl on fire.

Local people doused the fire and later took her to Pipili government hospital, from where she was shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

"The girl was burning when she came to my house. My family doused fire, offered water and changed her clothes before calling her family members and sending to hospital," said Dukshishyam Senapati, a villager.

The girl's mother has lodged an FIR with Balanga police station, officials said adding victim was a class 8 dropout and her father works at motor garage.

Senior police officer including Central Range IG Pravin Kumar, Puri SP Pinak Mishra and others visited the spot. Police have formed four teams to nab the accused.

DGP Y B Khurania assured that police would soon nab the accused.

No one has been detained or arrested so far, he said, adding that during spot verification, police got hold of the bottle which contained the inflammable substance that was used to burn the girl, Mishra said.

Parida, in a post on X stated: "I am saddened and shocked to hear the news that some miscreants at Balanga in Puri district poured petrol on a 15-year-old girl and set her on fire. All the expenses of the treatment will be borne by the government," she said.

"She is currently under treatment... we pray for her speedy recovery," senior Congress leader and former Union minister Srikant Jena said.

Patnaik said in a post on X: "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."

OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das said, "Even though such incidents keep happening repeatedly, the government and administration have turned into mere spectators. Female students and women are unsafe in the state. Criminals no longer fear the government, administration, or police."