Berhampur: A 20-year-old woman, who allegedly set herself on fire in Odisha’s Ganjam district a day after filing a rape complaint, has died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Berhampur, police said Thursday.
She died Wednesday night after battling for her life for five days at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
The woman had allegedly set herself ablaze behind her house March 28, a day after filing a rape complaint with the police against a 21-year-old man.
She initially rushed to a nearby hospital before being shifted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
The woman had suffered over 60 per cent burn injuries, doctors at the Berhampur hospital said.
Police said the victim, a college dropout, had been having an affair with the accused since 2022. Her parents alleged that she took the extreme step due to sexual harassment by the accused.
A police official said the accused, a priest, was arrested on a rape charge March 29. Following the woman’s death, the charge of abetment to suicide has been added to the FIR.
