Bhadrak: A 28-year-old woman attempted self-immolation inside the district Collectorate premises in Bhadrak Saturday, alleging she was denied employment after completing a Diploma in Early Child Care (DECC) course.
The woman, Bijayalakshmi Das of Shyamsundarpur village under Tihidi block, set her clothes on fire with a matchstick after learning the district collector was not in office. Officials and bystanders quickly doused the flames, and she was taken to the district headquarters hospital in a 108 ambulance.
She sustained minor burns on her left leg and was reported stable. Bijayalakshmi said there is no government provision to appoint DECC-qualified candidates in Shishu Vatika pre-primary schools. She claimed repeated protests in Bhubaneswar had failed to yield results.
