A woman undergraduate student from Odisha’s Sundergarh district, who had sustained 90 per cent burn injuries after allegedly setting herself on fire, died during treatment at the Ispat General Hospital (IGH) in Rourkela, police said on Monday.
According to officials, the student had been allegedly blackmailed by a 25-year-old man, prompting her to attempt suicide at her home in the Rajgangpur police station area on Friday night. She was rushed to IGH Rourkela with severe burn injuries.
Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling visited the hospital on Sunday and instructed authorities to arrange for her to be airlifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment. However, hospital officials said she succumbed to her injuries on Sunday night.
This marks the fifth such incident in six months in Odisha, following similar deaths reported from Balasore, Puri, Kendrapara, Bargarh, and now Rajgangpur.
BJD president Naveen Patnaik expressed profound concern over the student’s death.
"The tragic incident of a college student losing her life in a fire in Rajgangpur Lanjiberna is heart-wrenching. In this sorrowful time, I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved family and pray for the eternal peace of the departed soul," Patnaik said in a post on X.
Patnaik also pointed out that despite the family claiming they had received threats prior to the incident, there had been no action. He said the government's inaction "astonishes everyone."
"How many more innocent lives will the government allow to be lost in such a manner? The government's indifference towards preventing such rising incidents in Odisha is emboldening the criminals," said Patnaik, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly.
Alleging a collapse in law and order, Patnaik said the people of Odisha are living in fear and questioned the government’s priorities. "The government must take strict measures to establish law and order in the state. Let people get justice, and immediate firm action be taken against the criminals," he said.