Bhubaneswar, Aug 12 (IANS) BJD President and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday expressed deep shock and anguish over the death of another girl by self-immolation in Gaisilet area of Bargarh district.

The 13-year-old girl, who was staying at her maternal uncle’s house at Phiringimal village under Gaisilet police station area, on Monday set herself on fire allegedly over some family issues.

The villagers spotted her half-burnt at a football ground near her uncle’s house.

She was rescued and rushed to VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla, Sambalpur, where she later succumbed while undergoing treatment.

The victim, after the incident, reportedly told locals that a girl was responsible for her taking the extreme decision. The police have launched an investigation after registering a case in this regard.

The incident shocked the entire state, as it was the fourth case of a girl dying by self-immolation in just one month.

In a post on X, former Chief Minister Patnaik conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family, praying for strength for them in this hour of grief.

“It is deeply disturbing that there is a heartbreaking pattern in the way our girls are dousing themselves with inflammable substances to take away their lives. Four young girls have lost their lives in similar circumstances within a month,” he wrote.

Patnaik said that behind each such death lies the unbearable pain of a daughter of Odisha who saw no other way out than to end her life.

“These four deaths are not stray cases – many such girls are dying in the most tragic way possible after being subjected to crime every day,” he added.

Terming the incidents as a reflection of systemic failure, the BJD chief accused the BJP government of failing to instil confidence among girls.

“Their desperation is not just a personal tragedy. Each tragedy reflects the failure to hear their screams,” Patnaik said, adding that the BJP administration’s silence and inaction have left the daughters of Odisha more vulnerable.

“How long will the BJP government wait to stop this heartbreaking pattern?” he questioned.

–IANS

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