Bhubaneswar: The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday demanded a Crime Branch probe into the tragic self-immolation of a girl student at Kathiapada village under Pattamundai Rural police station limits in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
Addressing a press conference, senior BJD leader Pratap Keshari Deb alleged serious lapses by the local police. He claimed that the victim’s father had earlier approached the police with a complaint against the girl’s boyfriend, accusing him of blackmail. However, the on-duty Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) allegedly refused to register the complaint and instead advised the father to block the accused’s phone number and delete the objectionable photos.
“This negligence by the police administration cost a young girl her life,” Deb said. “Had the ASI acted promptly and registered the complaint, this tragedy could have been averted.”
According to Deb, the girl died by suicide six months after the initial complaint was ignored. He also alleged that after her body was discovered on Wednesday, the police took nearly four hours to reach the spot.
Calling the incident a failure of law enforcement, the BJD leader urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to order a Crime Branch investigation. He also appealed to the Director General of Police to immediately form a team and ensure a thorough probe.
Meanwhile, Kendrapara SP Siddharth Kataria stated that ASI Sailendra Mohan Palei has been transferred to ensure an impartial inquiry. Kataria said preliminary findings suggest the girl died by suicide, allegedly due to ongoing blackmail by her boyfriend.
The girl reportedly set herself ablaze in her home in Pattamundai on Wednesday, marking yet another deeply troubling case of self-immolation linked to emotional trauma and police inaction.
