13-Year-Old Girl Dies After Setting Herself on Fire in Odisha’s Bargarh

In Odisha’s Bargarh district on Monday, a 13-year-old girl died after allegedly setting herself on fire. Soon after the incident, the victim was rushed to the hospital, but she was declared dead upon arrival, as per police.

IG Northern Range Himanshu Lal confirmed that an investigation is underway. “Several teams have been formed, and questioning is ongoing. The girl has passed away, and her postmortem is in progress,” he added.

Political Leaders Express Concern

Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das expressed deep sorrow over the incident and criticised the government for its lack of action. He mentioned that similar cases have been reported in Bargarh, Baleshwar, and Navrangpur, where a girl took her own life after facing blackmail. “Such incidents keep happening, but the government has not taken any steps. We are fighting back and sending our people to raise awareness everywhere,” Das said.

Similarly, BJD leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar pointed out that the increasing crimes against girls are making Odisha look like a "crime capital" under the BJP rule. She highlighted the alarming rise in cases of girls being harmed and blamed police inaction for encouraging criminals. “A 13-year-old girl from Bargarh was burnt and is now struggling for her life. The government’s failure to act has strengthened the criminals' mindset,” she said.

Spike in Self-Immolation Cases

Odisha has seen a recent rise in self-immolation cases, mostly involving young girls. This is the fourth such case in just one month. On August 7, former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik mourned the death of a girl from Pattamundai in Kendrapara, who set herself on fire after feeling ignored in her fight for justice. Patnaik blamed the BJP government for the deaths, calling the administration “apathetic” for failing to listen to the girls’ cries for help.

In a post on X, Patnaik said, “I am deeply saddened to learn about another girl from Pattamundai who set herself on fire in desperation after her pleas for justice went unheard. I am very sorry for the loss her family is going through.

Before this, a student from FM Autonomous College in Balasore set herself on fire. Days later, a minor girl from Balanga in the Puri district also died by self-immolation. She was airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for treatment but sadly passed away.