Odisha: Girl Set Ablaze by Unidentified Youths Airlifted to AIIMS Delhi

The girl was flown to Delhi by special air-ambulance after being carried to the airport t hrough a green corridor. A team of doctors and paramedics of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar accompanied the girl.

In another development, the special investigating teams probing into the case reportedly detained two persons, said to be her paternal aunt and cousin brother, after they seized kerosene and some other incriminating materials from their house.

The incident occurred around 8.30 am on Saturday in the Bayabar area, barely 1.5 km from the Balanga police station.

According to the first information report (FIR) lodged by the girl's mother, the victim—a Plus II student—was on her way to deliver books to a friend when she was intercepted by three men near a deserted stretch along the Bhargavi River road.

Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers forcibly lifted the girl and set her ablaze before fleeing the scene. Locals, alerted by her screams and the sight of smoke, rushed to rescue her and called for help.

The girl, who suffered 70–75 per cent burns on her hands, legs, and torso, was initially taken to the Community Health Centre in Pipili and later referred to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar due to the severity of her injuries. She was subsequently shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar (AIIMS-Bhubaneswar), for advanced care.

AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Director Ashutosh Biswas said the condition of the victim from Balanga in Puri, who was set on fire by some unidentified assailants in broad daylight, remained critical and the next 72 hours were crucial. He further informed that the victim was not on a ventilator but was receiving oxygen support in the ICU.

State Director General of Police (DGP) Y.B. Khurania said special teams had been formed to identify the culprits and apprehend them.

The police have recorded the statement of the girl with regard to the brutal assault on her. Sources said the police have obtained some vital clues that will lead them to the accused.

The brutal assault comes on the heels of another tragic incident in Balasore earlier this month, where a girl student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College died after allegedly immolating herself following prolonged harassment. That case had also triggered public outrage and demands for greater protection of women and girls in the state.