Odisha woman dies by self-immolation after alleged police inaction over blackmail complaint

The woman, a final year undergraduate student of Pattamundai College, set herself ablaze after pouring kerosene on her in their house on Wednesday morning.

Published on: Aug 7, 2025, 08:50:39 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A 19-year-old woman of Kendrapara district in Odisha studying in final year undergraduate programme on Wednesday died by self-immolation amid allegations of police inaction on her complaint of blackmail by a male friend.

Police said a man named Litu of Terohi village under Pattamundai Rural police station who was in a relationship with the woman allegedly kept some photos of her and had been blackmailing her regularly. (AI-generated image)

The woman, a final year undergraduate student of Pattamundai College, set herself ablaze after pouring kerosene on her in their house on Wednesday morning when her parents were away. She succumbed to severe burn injuries in a local hospital. Police said a man named Litu of Terohi village under Pattamundai Rural police station who was in a relationship with the woman allegedly kept some photos of her and had been blackmailing her regularly.

The woman’s father alleged that her friend was blackmailing her using obscene photos and videos. “I had gone to Pattamundai (Rural) police station around six months ago to file a complaint over her former boyfriend’s threat to upload her intimate photographs on social media. I had given a copy of the complaint to one police officer named Sailendra Palei. However, he discouraged me against it, stating it was better not to file a complaint and suggested that we block the phone number of the ex-boyfriend.”

A formal complaint regarding this issue was lodged at the Pattamundai rural police station six months ago, but police did not register a case on the basis of the complaint, he alleged.

A police official reportedly asked the college girl to block the phone number of her male friend to avoid harassment. Kendrapara SP Siddhrath Kataria who visited the spot and talked to the woman’s family members said police will look into all aspects while probing the incident. Police have registered a case of unnatural death.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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