Puri Burn Case: Teen Dies, Cops Say No One Involved, Father Releases Video

Hours after a teenager from Odisha died of severe burn injuries at AIIMS Delhi, new developments have added a twist to the Puri Balanga minor burn case. Initially, three men were believed to have set her on fire, but the police have now claimed that no other person was involved, and the victim's father has released a video claiming she ended her life due to mental distress.

The girl was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar with 75% burn injuries on July 19 and airlifted to AIIMS Delhi a day later. Despite all efforts by the government and the medical specialists, her life could not be saved, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi informed yesterday.

Minutes later, the Odisha Police stated that their investigation into the burn case had reached its final stage. According to the investigation conducted so far, no other person was involved, they said, without clarifying how the girl was set on fire.

"We request everyone not to make any sensitive comments regarding this matter during this tragic moment," the police said.

Then followed an emotional video in which her father said she faced unbearable trauma and appealed to the public not to politicise the matter.

"I have lost my daughter. She ended her life due to mental stress. The trauma she faced was unbearable. All I want to say is that the Odisha government has done a lot for me and my family. I humbly request that everyone please do not politicize this tragedy. Instead, pray for her soul. All I want now is peace for my daughter," he said in the video.

The father's message - highlighting the need for sensitivity and dignity amid personal loss - came amid widespread outrage and protests across Odisha over the incident.

The girl, 15, was allegedly set on fire in the Balanga area of Puri district on July 19, with eyewitnesses claiming that three men were involved in the crime. Locals had rushed the girl to the hospital and later shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

"The girl was on fire when she came running towards my house. Her hands were tied. She had suffered serious burns. My wife, daughter, and I doused the flames and gave her new clothes. She told me that three men on two bikes forcibly brought her here, poured kerosene, and set her on fire," Dukhishyam Senapati, an eyewitness who helped douse the flames and contacted the girl's family, had then told NDTV.

The latest police statement - that no other person was involved - contradicts the preliminary findings that suggested three men on a bike had waylaid the girl, forcibly taken her to a riverbank, and then set her on fire.

Even the girl's mother had earlier alleged in the FIR that three unknown men had set her daughter on fire.

(With inputs from Dev Kumar Ghosh)