Odisha burn victim's condition critical, on oxygen support: Doctors at AIIMS Delhi

New Delhi: A 15-year-old girl, who had been undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar after three youths set her ablaze in Odisha's Puri district, was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on Sunday, officials said.

The girl, who has suffered 75 per cent burns, was airlifted from Bhubaneswar and reached AIIMS Delhi at 4.20 pm, the hospital said in a statement.

"She is currently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in the Burns and Plastic Surgery block. Her condition is critical, and she is on oxygen support. A team of doctors is closely monitoring her condition," the AIIMS Delhi said in the statement.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said he is deeply saddened by the incident, which happened at Balanga area in Puri on Saturday.

"The victim has been airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for the best treatment. The state government will ensure all necessary facilities for this. I pray before Lord Jagannath for the girl's speedy recovery," Majhi wrote on X.

Bhubaneswar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena told reporters that a green corridor was set up to take the patient from AIIMS Bhubaneswar to Biju Patnaik International Airport, and one platoon of police was deployed for this.

A green corridor refers to a special route cleared out to carry organs for transplantation or severely ill patients to their destinations in the shortest possible time.

Bhubaneswar Traffic DCP Tapan Kumar Mohanty said the patient was taken in an advanced life support ambulance with a dedicated medical team. The ambulance reached the airport from AIIMS Bhubaneswar in 10 to 12 minutes.

At the airport, she was boarded into an air ambulance set for the national capital.

"The patient's condition is stable, and her blood pressure, which was low yesterday, has improved. It is safe to transfer her," AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director Ashutosh Biswas told reporters before her departure.

Meanwhile, BJD leaders and supporters staged a protest in front of the Balanga police station, demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

Holding party flags, posters and banners, BJD workers marched to the police station and scuffled with police personnel while trying to gherao the building.

"More than 24 hours have passed since the barbaric incident but the culprits have not yet been arrested," BJD leader and former minister Tukuni Sahu said.

She alleged that incidents of violence against girls are happening one after another in Odisha as the government has failed to protect them.

"We came to the police station to know the whereabouts of the persons who tried to kill the girl. The police are still clueless," said Pradeep Kumar Majhi, another BJD leader.

Similarly, senior Congress leader and former Union minister Srikant Jena said, "The back-to-back incidents -- first in Balasore and now in Balanga -- show that law and order situation has completely collapsed in the state. Women and girls are safe nowhere in the state." Jena alleged that the earlier incident happened in the home turf of Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida but she is yet to visit the victim or her family.

The state government has no moral right to continue, he said.

BJP leader Samir Ranjan Dash said the police are continuing their investigation into the incident. "We all are hopeful that the accused persons will be arrested soon," he said.

The victim has been airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for better treatment and all should pray for her speedy recovery, he said.

As the victim was able to speak on Saturday, the police have recorded her statement in the presence of a magistrate at the ICU, an official said, adding that her statement is vital for the investigation.

Preliminary police investigation revealed that three motorcycle-borne youths intercepted the teenager, forcibly took her to the banks of Bhargavi River near Bayabar village under Balanga police station limits, poured an inflammable substance on her, and set her on fire on Saturday. The miscreants fled the spot after the incident, police said.

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

The girl's mother has lodged a complaint with Balanga police station, officials said, adding that the victim was a Class 8 dropout and her father worked at a motor garage.

The police have picked up some persons and are interrogating them in connection with the case, a police officer said.