Class 8 girl dies after self-immolation in Odisha’s Bargarh district
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Bhubaneswar: A 13-year-old girl died on Monday after allegedly setting herself on fire in Phiringimala village of Odisha’s Bargarh district, marking the fourth such incident in the state in less than a month.
Police said the Class 8 student was found with severe burn injuries in a field near her uncle’s house in Gaisilet police limits on Monday morning. She was rushed to VSS Medical College and Hospital in Burla, Sambalpur district, but succumbed to her injuries in the afternoon.
Bargarh’s in-charge Superintendent of Police Abilash G. said an unnatural death case has been registered based on a complaint from the family. “We have been investigating the reasons behind the death. The video containing her statement after the incident has also been seized by police,” he said.
According to locals, the girl, while being taken to hospital, claimed she had taken the extreme step due to a dispute involving one of her girlfriends, though she did not name the person. The video of her statement has since circulated on social media.
Police said the girl had been staying at her uncle’s house for a few days, reportedly for health-related reasons. Her father works as a migrant laborer in a private firm in Tamil Nadu.
Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Himansu Kumar Lal said the matter is under investigation and assured that “the best possible action” will be taken as per the law.
The incident follows three recent cases of women and girls setting themselves on fire in Odisha. On July 12, a female student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College self-immolated near the principal’s chamber alleging sexual harassment by a faculty member; she died two days later. On July 19, a 16-year-old girl in Puri district was allegedly set ablaze by three bike-borne assailants and died in Delhi after 14 days in hospital. On August 6, a 20-year-old student died after allegedly setting herself on fire at her home in Kendrapara district.
