‘She was on fire, screaming’: Odisha man recalls moment Puri girl sought help
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
‘She was on fire, screaming’: Odisha man recalls moment Puri girl sought help
A 15-year-old girl from Odisha’s Puri district, who was kidnapped and set ablaze by unidentified men, knocked on the door of a house in Balanga village, pleading for help. The girl, suffering from over 70 per cent burns, remains in critical condition at AIIMS Delhi, where she was airlifted for treatment on Sunday. “She said they tied her hands when they abducted her,” the witness said, clarifying that when she reached his house, her hands were free. This brutal incident has emerged just days after another high-profile case in Odisha. A female student from FM (Auto) College in Balasore attempted self-immolation on campus on July 12. She succumbed to her injuries on July 14 after sustaining over 90 per centBurns at Bhubaneswar hospital.
The man, Dukshishyam Senapati, recounted the harrowing 90 minutes the Puri teen spent in his home before being taken to the hospital.
“The girl was on fire and screaming in pain,” Senapati told Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania, who visited the village to take stock of the situation, as reported by news agency PTI.
Three men tied her hands, set her on fire
Senapati said the girl arrived at his house around 8:30am on Saturday, crying “save me, save me.”
He and his wife quickly doused the flames and gave her water as she was very thirsty. “Later, the women of my family changed her clothes,” he added.
According to Senapati, the girl told him she had been abducted by three unidentified men while returning home after visiting a friend. “She said she was picked up by three men on motorcycles with half-covered faces, who took her near the Bhargavi riverbank. They covered her face with a handkerchief, poured some substance on her and set her on fire,” he recounted.
“She said they tied her hands when they abducted her,” the witness said, clarifying that when she reached his house, her hands were free.
He added that she was able to tell him her father’s name and her native village, after which he informed the family.
Attackers fled after torching the 15-year-old girl
Senapati told the DGP that the attackers appeared to have fled immediately after setting the girl on fire, possibly assuming she would not survive. “The brave girl ran away and reached our house,” he said.
He said the 108 ambulance arrived late, by which time they were already preparing to shift her in an auto-rickshaw. “The girl stayed around 90 minutes in our place,” he said, adding that the crime has caused panic in the village. “Our children are hesitant to go outside alone. We demand immediate arrest of the culprits,” Senapati added.
Teen in critical condition at AIIMS Delhi
The girl was first taken to a local hospital, then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, and finally airlifted to AIIMS New Delhi at 4:20 PM on Sunday.
“Patient with 75% burns was airlifted from AIIMS Bhubaneswar and received at AIIMS New Delhi at 4:20 PM. She is currently admitted to the Burn ICU in the Burns and Plastic Surgery block. Her condition is critical, and she is on oxygen support. A team of doctors is closely monitoring her condition,” said a statement from AIIMS Delhi cited by news agency ANI.
The attack occurred in the jurisdiction of Balanga police station in Nimapada block of Puri district. According to the girl’s cousin, she had gone out with friends before being abducted and set ablaze near the river.
This brutal incident has emerged just days after another high-profile case in Odisha: a female student from FM (Auto) College in Balasore attempted self-immolation on campus on July 12. She succumbed to her injuries at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14 after sustaining over 90 per cent burns.