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Odisha woman attempts to set herself on fire at SP office in Dhenkanal
In Dhenkanal, a woman was allegedly sent back and forth between Town and Sadar police stations over jurisdiction issues, before she attempted self-immolation.
A woman allegedly attempted self-immolation within the premises of the Dhenkanal superintendent of police’s office in Odisha, claiming that her complaints of mental harassment by her husband’s cousin were repeatedly ignored, PTI reported.
She first approached the Town police station in Dhenkanal district, but officers there allegedly directed her to the Sadar police station, citing jurisdictional limitations, a police official told PTI.
When she then went to the Sadar police station, the staff allegedly asked her to return to the Town station on the same grounds, he added.
Aggrieved by the lack of response, she tried to set herself ablaze at the SP’s office on Saturday. However, police officers present at the scene acted swiftly, restraining and rescuing her. They also seized a bottle of petrol and a matchbox from her possession, the officer said.
Also Read | College student dies after self-immolation over 'blackmail by boyfriend' in Odisha
The woman later met Dhenkanal Superintendent of Police Abhinav Sonkar, who assured her of action on her complaint. "I have discussed the matter with the woman and assured her of taking appropriate legal action regarding her complaint," Sonkar told reporters.
He confirmed that she had made allegations against a relative and said an inquiry was underway. Meanwhile, two sub-inspectors, who had been serving as diary charge officers (DCOs) at the two police stations, were suspended for negligence of duty. The officers suspended were Utkal Bijay Mohanty of Town police station and Rosalin Minz of Sadar police station, another official said.
Odisha sees a spate of self-immolation incidents
In the past month, five females – three women and two girls – have died by self-immolation in Odisha. Mental health specialists link the disturbing trend to severe psychological strain, the lack of adequate mental health care, and a potential “copycat effect” that heightens the likelihood of further cases, according to a previous Hindustan Times report.
The most recent case involved a 30-year-old man in Bhubaneswar, who sustained 50% burn injuries after setting himself ablaze during a dispute with his siblings on August 12. This came barely a day after a 13-year-old girl in Bargarh district died from burn injuries just hours after allegedly setting herself on fire.
On July 12, a 20-year-old woman – a second-year student at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore – attempted self-immolation, accusing the head of the education department, an assistant professor, of sexual harassment. She succumbed to her injuries two days later at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bhubaneswar.
On August 10, a 35-year-old woman from Dhenkanal district suffered burns over more than 50% of her body after trying to set herself on fire at home, reportedly driven by her family’s financial struggles with debt repayment.
Similarly, on August 6, a 19-year-old woman from Kendrapara district, in the final year of her undergraduate studies, died by self-immolation after alleging that police had failed to act on her complaint of blackmail by a male acquaintance.
Earlier, a 15-year-old girl from Puri district, who had allegedly been set on fire by three unidentified men on July 19, died on August 3 while receiving treatment at AIIMS in New Delhi.
