Sundargarh: An undergraduate female student suffered about 90 per cent burn injuries after allegedly attempting self-immolation in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, police said Saturday.
This is the fifth such incident reported in the state in the past six months.
One person, who was allegedly harassing the college student, was arrested in this connection.
The incident occurred Friday night at Lanjiberna area when the victim’s family members were asleep.
The second-year student was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to the Ispat General Hospital (IGH) in Rourkela.
Doctors said her condition was “highly critical.”
Sundergarh Superintendent of Police Amritpal Kaur said, “The police have arrested a 25-year-old man in this connection. The preliminary investigation indicates that the man was harassing the woman student.”
The victim’s mother said her daughter had received a threatening call before the incident.
“All the family members went to sleep Friday night while she was studying. However, we woke up after hearing her scream and rushed her to a local hospital and from there to IGH. My daughter had received some threatening call following which she attempted self-immolation,” she said.
The case comes amid a spate of similar incidents in Odisha since July. On July 14, a college student in Balasore succumbed to burn injuries at AIIMS Bhubaneswar after attempting self-immolation allegedly due to sexual harassment by her professor. Four people, including the professor and college principal, were jailed on charges of abetment.
On July 19, a minor girl from Balanga in Puri district allegedly set herself ablaze and later died during treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi on August 2. Police are yet to ascertain the cause.
In another case, a 20-year-old undergraduate student in Kendrapara district died August 6 after allegedly being blackmailed by her male friend, who has since been arrested.
On August 11, a 13-year-old schoolgirl died of self-immolation in a field near her maternal uncle’s house under Phiringmal police station in Bargarh district.
PTI
