Opposition parties intensified their criticism of the Mohan Majhi-led government, rejecting the Odisha Police’s claim that no one was involved in the incident in which a 15-year-old girl from Puri district died of burn injuries allegedly inflicted by miscreants.
Following the post-mortem conducted at AIIMS, New Delhi, the girl’s body was being brought to her native village under Balanga police station limits in Puri district for burial.
While the girl’s father and other family members appealed to political parties not to politicise the death, the Opposition remained unconvinced. The incident took place on July 19, when the minor girl sustained severe burn injuries after allegedly being set on fire.
Odisha girl allegedly set afire dies; police claim ‘no other person involved’ in incident
Initial reports had suggested that three miscreants abducted and set the girl on fire. However, the State police, following an investigation, concluded that no one else was involved in the incident. The case triggered nationwide outrage over the BJP government’s handling of women’s safety, particularly in the wake of a separate case in which a college student self-immolated on the FM Autonomous College campus in Balasore, citing inaction on her complaint.
