New Delhi: A woman allegedly attempted self-immolation in Odisha’s Sundergarh after facing harassment, marking the fifth such incident reported in the state in the last six months.
The woman suffered nearly 90 per cent burn injuries. 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 nearby hospital after hearing her screams. She was later shifted to Ispat General Hospital (IGH) in Rourkela, where doctors said her condition remains “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 incident adds to a disturbing pattern of similar cases reported across Odisha in recent months. On July 14, a college student in Balasore died at AIIMS Bhubaneswar after allegedly attempting self-immolation over sexual harassment by her professor.
Four people, including the professor and the college principal, were later arrested and 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 a separate incident, a 20-year-old undergraduate student from Kendrapara district died on August 6 after allegedly being blackmailed by a 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.
