Woman attempts self-immolation in Odisha after harassment, 5th case in 6 months

An undergraduate woman student suffered nearly 90 per cent burn injuries after allegedly attempting self-immolation in Odisha’s Sundergarh district, police said on Saturday. This marks the fifth such incident reported in the state in the past six months.

The incident took place on Friday night in the Lanjiberna area while the victim’s family members were asleep. Police have arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly harassing the college student. Sundergarh Superintendent of Police Amritpal Kaur said preliminary investigation indicates the man had been troubling her.

Family members rushed the second-year student to a local hospital after hearing her screams. She was later shifted to Ispat General Hospital (IGH) in Rourkela, where doctors described her condition as “highly critical.”

The victim’s mother said her daughter received a threatening phone call before the incident. “All the family members went to sleep on Friday night while she was studying. We woke up after hearing her scream. My daughter had received some threatening call following which she attempted self-immolation,” she said.

The case adds to a troubling series of similar incidents reported across Odisha since July. On July 14, a college student in Balasore died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar after allegedly attempting self-immolation due to sexual harassment by her professor. Four people, including the professor and college principal, were later jailed for abetment.

On July 19, a minor girl from Balanga in Puri district allegedly set herself ablaze and died during treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi on August 2. Police are still investigating the cause.

In another case, a 20-year-old undergraduate student in Kendrapara district died on August 6 after allegedly being blackmailed by her male friend, who has since been arrested.

On August 11, a 13-year-old schoolgirl died after self-immolating in a field near her maternal uncle’s house under Phiringmal police station in Bargarh district.

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