Another Odisha Woman Dies By Suicide, Father Alleges Boyfriend's Blackmail

A 20-year-old final-year undergraduate student was found dead after sustaining severe burn injuries inside her home in Odisha's Kendrapara district on Wednesday morning. 

The victim was alone in the house when she allegedly set herself on fire. Her father has alleged that she poured petrol over herself before setting herself on fire, following months of harassment and blackmail by a man she had been in a relationship with.

According to the father, his daughter had lodged a complaint with the police roughly six months ago, stating that the man was threatening and blackmailing her, allegedly using intimate photographs. He said the accused had also threatened to kill her by pouring petrol on her and setting her ablaze.

Despite this, he claims no formal action was taken.

"He had even threatened to kill my daughter by setting her on fire with the help of petrol. After learning about it from my daughter, we filed a complaint at the police station, but no action was taken against the accused," the father alleged. "We had reported the matter to the police around 7-8 months ago, but instead of registering a case and taking action against the accused, my daughter was advised to block him from all communication platforms.

"I have seen the body. Her father has claimed that she died by suicide. The matter will be investigated," said Kendrapara Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kataria. 

This is the third case of a young woman in Odisha dying from burn injuries since mid-July.

On July 12, a 20-year-old student of FM College in Balasore set herself on fire on campus. She was reportedly protesting the lack of action in a sexual harassment complaint she had filed against the head of her department. She died two days later at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

On August 2, a 15-year-old girl from Balanga in Puri district died after sustaining severe burns.

(With inputs from Dev Kumar Ghosh)