Odisha teen critical with 90% burns after self-immolation; 25-year-old man held

BHubaneswar: A 25-year-old adult male was arrested on sat, a daylight after an 18-year-old college educatee go down herself on fire in Odisha’s Sundargarh district.The girl, an undergraduate student of a local college in the Rajgangpur town, has sustained over 90% burn injuries and is battling for life in Rourkela’s Ispat General Hospital.The student allegedly set herself on fire late on Friday night in her home after speaking to a male friend, Sundargarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Amritpal Kaur said.Police said preliminary enquiries suggested the girl had a dispute with her male friend shortly before the incident.“The accused had been stalking and harassing her for the last two years, but his activities had worsened in recent times,” SP Kaur said.“We have arrested Nilesh Sahu, a resident of a different village, in connection with the case and are interrogating him,” Kaur added.The student’s mother said the family was asleep and woke up to her screams. “She was studying in her room when she received a phone call. My daughter took the extreme step when all of us were sleeping. We found her in flames when we woke up to her screams and rushed her to the hospital,” she said.Police said that a statement from the survivor will be taken depending on her medical condition.“Police have inspected the residence where the self-immolation bid occurred. Statements from family members, neighbours and other witnesses have been recorded,” the SP said.From July 12, at least 7 women, including two minors, have set themselves ablaze, driven by a mix of personal despair, societal pressures, and systemic failures.On July 12, a 20-year-old woman student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore district set herself on fire on campus, citing inaction by authorities on her sexual harassment complaint against a head of the department. She died two days later at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. On July 19, a 15-year-old girl in Puri district set herself afire and died on August 2 at AIIMS Delhi which police concluded it as a case of suicide driven by mental stress. On August 6, a 19-year-old college student in Kendrapara immolated herself after her ex-boyfriend threatened to leak intimate photos online, a case that led to his arrest for abetment while on August 10, a 35-year-old woman in Dhenkanal district sustained more than 50 per cent burn injuries after attempting self-immolation at her home over the family’s struggle to repay loans.