Bhubaneswar/Puri: Police on Saturday recorded the statement of the 16-year-old girl, who was brutally attacked and set on fire by three unidentified assailants at Bayabar village under Nimapara block in Odisha’s Puri district.
The statement was recorded under Section 180 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, where is undergoing treatment with 70% burns, in the presence of Khurda Additional District Magistrate, Balanga police and attending doctors.
While police have begun an investigation on the basis of the victim’s statement and are scouting for possible footage from CCTV cameras in the locality, preliminary investigations suggest that the horrific attack was premeditated. Police suspect that the miscreants were possibly aware of the girl’s movement and came prepared.
A police team, led by DIG Pinak Mishra, who is also the SP-in-charge of Puri, found two bottles of suspected kerosene at the crime scene. The SP informed a cyber expert has been engaged to assist in the investigation. “All angles, including a possible conspiracy, are being examined and efforts are underway to ascertain how the accused procured kerosene to set the girl ablaze,” he said.
No CCTV footage of the area has been recovered so far, he added.
Though several persons have been questioned in connection with the incident, no arrests have been made so far.
The Ghastly Crime
The assault took place around 8.30 am when the victim was on her way to her friend’s house. The three attackers, riding a motorcycle, gagged her using a handkerchief on a deserted stretch and abducted her to the Bhargavi riverbank, where she was allegedly doused with an inflammable substance and set on fire.
The incident took place barely 500 metres from their house.
A senior police officer said that the girl suffered burn injuries on her back, abdomen and other parts.
The Rescuer
She was rescued by a local, Dukhishyam Senapati, who extinguished the flames as the girl ran towards the nearby village and called out for help. He provided first aid and new clothes. Senapati said the girl told him three youths forcibly took her and set her on fire, but the assailants had fled by the time he searched for them.
“We received information about an unfortunate incident under Balanda police limits in Nimapada block, where a 16-year-old girl was set ablaze. She has suffered burn injuries. We contacted AIIMS and trauma and emergency care arrangements have been made. Police and District Administration have taken this matter very seriously. Senior officials have been sent to the spot. All kinds of financial assistance that would be required will be borne by the district administration and the government. We hope and pray that she recovers soon. Police will take all necessary actions,” Puri Collector Chanchan Rana earlier told the ANI.
Cousin Recounts Horror
The victim’s cousin said that she was kidnapped, tied up near the river and set on fire. “She ran for a kilometre and entered a nearby house seeking help. Her clothes had burned off, and she eventually lost consciousness. The house owner immediately informed us, and we alerted Balanga police. She was taken to a hospital in Pipili, and later referred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for treatment,” the cousin said.
He said that the incident took place when she was going to her friend’s place carrying some books. “We don’t know why she was attacked. We have filed a complaint with the police,” he added.
She was transferred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar’s Burn Unit on the orders of Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who assured that the Odisha government would bear all her medical expenses. “The police administration has been directed to arrest the culprits immediately and take strict action,” the Deputy CM, who is a MLA from Nimapara, added.
Father Urges Govt For strict Action Against Culprits
Father of the teenage girl said that he has no clue about the culprits. “I don’t know who the culprits are, and can’t guess any name. I have spoken with my daughter but nothing about the incident was discussed with her. Her condition is slightly stable,” he said.
He hoped for his daughter’s swift recovery and urged the government for strict action against the culprit.
The girl’s family has ruled out personal enmity or a love affair angle as possible causes.
The incident, which took place a week after the self-immolation bid by a student of FM College in Balasore over alleged sexual harassment by her HoD and her subsequent death, has triggered massive public and political outrage with former chief minister Naveen Patnaik calling it a “deep systemic failure of governance”.
“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. It shows that criminals have become emboldened under the present government and are not worried about being punished,” he posted on X.