Bhubaneswar/Sundargarh: BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik Monday expressed deep concern over the death of a woman student from Sundargarh district, calling the incident “heart-wrenching” and demanding strict action against those responsible.
The undergraduate student from Rajgangpur suffered severe burn injuries Friday night in what police say was a case linked to blackmail by a 25-year-old man. She was admitted to Ispat General Hospital (IGH) in Rourkela with more than 90 per cent burns and died Sunday night during treatment, hospital authorities said.
“The tragic incident of a college student losing her life in a fire in Rajgangpur Lanjiberna is heart-wrenching. In this sorrowful time, I convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved family and pray for the eternal peace of the departed soul,” Patnaik said in a post on X.
Patnaik noted that even after the family members stated that they had received prior threats of being killed, the government’s inaction astonishes everyone.
“How many more innocent lives will the government allow to be lost in such a manner? The government’s indifference towards preventing such rising incidents in Odisha is emboldening the criminals,” Patnaik, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, said.
Stating that people of Odisha are feeling unsafe, Patnaik alleged that the criminals are roaming freely and for whose security is the government providing?
“The government must take strict measures to establish law and order in the state. Let people get justice, and immediate firm action be taken against the criminals,” Patnaik said.
This was the fifth such incident in Odisha in a span of six months when women died due to self-immolation in Balasore, Balanga in Puri district, Kendrapara, Bargarh and now Rajgangpur, official sources said.
PNN & Agencies
