Bhubaneswar:  On Saturday, BJD leader Naveen Patnaik expressed profound sorrow regarding the incident in which miscreants set a 15-year-old girl on fire in Puri district, Odisha, stating that such occurrences highlight a fundamental failure in governance.

The girl sustained 70 percent burn injuries after unidentified individuals doused her with a flammable substance and ignited it in Bayabar village, within the Balanga police jurisdiction, on Saturday morning. She is currently receiving treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Odisha’s situation: The system is laid bare. Patnaik, who leads the opposition in the state assembly, remarked, “Such unimaginable acts of violence against women are now being reported almost daily throughout #Odisha. These are not isolated incidents. The frequency of these occurrences reveals a significant systemic failure in governance.” He further noted, “This incident follows closely on the heels of a student from FM College who self-immolated after being denied justice despite seeking help from numerous sources, which occurred after the horrific gang-rape incident in Gopalpur.”

Patnaik emphasized that these events indicate that criminals feel emboldened under the current administration and are unafraid of repercussions.

“This also illustrates how Odisha is becoming increasingly unsafe for women due to governmental inaction and political support for offenders,” he stated.

The Congress party is demanding the resignation of the Odisha Chief Minister over the college student’s death and the imposition of President’s Rule. “Will the Odisha government awaken from its deep slumber and take prompt action to ensure the arrest of these criminals? More importantly, will the government take measures to prevent such incidents from recurring? The women and girls of #Odisha are waiting for a response,” he added.

A 20-year-old student from FM College in Balasore committed self-immolation due to sexual harassment on July 12 and passed away on July 14.