Bhubaneswar: A woman allegedly set herself on fire due to the debt burden at Bhuban in Dhenkanal. She had suffered 50 per cent burns and was hospitalised in critical condition.
Though the incident occurred on Sunday night, the matter came to the fore after she was rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as her condition deteriorated.
According to sources, the woman’s husband is a truck driver. But for the past few months, he has not been earning from driving. That’s why he had taken a loan from a private finance company to make ends meet. The couple was under pressure to repay the loan instalments. Unable to bear the burden, she allegedly set herself ablaze.
However, the seven-year-old son of the victim screamed after seeing his mother burning in the fire and alerted neighbours, who rushed to her aid and doused the flames.
She was immediately taken to Bhuban Hospital, where doctors declared her condition critical. As her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital. A forensic team has been roped in to investigate the incident.
