Bhubaneswar, July 19 (UNI) Former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik today strongly condemned the brutal incident in which a minor girl was set on fire in the Balanga area of Puri district.
In a statement issued here, Patnaik said he was deeply anguished to learn that such a heinous attempt to kill a minor took place in broad daylight.
“This has occurred just a week after the heart-wrenching self-immolation of a girl at Fakir Mohan College, who took the extreme step after being denied justice despite knocking on every door.
And only a month ago, a college girl was reportedly gang-raped by a group of youths at Gopalpur beach,” he said.
Patnaik pointed out that such unthinkable acts of violence against women are now being reported almost daily across Odisha.
“These are not isolated incidents. The recurring nature of these crimes clearly points to a deep systemic failure in governance,” he remarked.
The former Chief Minister said the criminals appear emboldened under the current government, seemingly unafraid of any consequences.
As Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, Patnaik asserted that the state is becoming increasingly unsafe for women due to what he called government inaction and political patronage.
“Will the Odisha Government finally wake up from its deep slumber and act swiftly to arrest the perpetrators? More importantly, will it take real steps to ensure such horrific incidents are not repeated?” he questioned.
“The women and girls of Odisha are waiting for answers,” Patnaik concluded.
Meanwhile, a bulletin from AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, said the burn victim girl has been received at AIIMS Bhubaneswar emergency in a critical condition.
The minor girl, aged about 15 years, has suffered approximately 70 per cent total body surface area (TBSA) burns and has been shifted to the Burn Centre.
