Bhubaneswar, Aug 7 Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Thursday expressed deep anguish over the death of a 20-year-old girl at Kathiapada village in Pattamundai block of Kendrapara district.
Taking to the social media platform 'X', Patnaik wrote, "Deeply saddened and anguished to know that another girl from Pattamundai, Kendrapara has set herself on fire in desperation after her pleas for justice fell on deaf ears yet again."
The Biju Janata Dal supremo extended his condolences to bereaved family members and prayed for the Almighty to grant the family the courage to endure this heartbreaking loss.
"It pains to know that within a month, three young girls have lost their lives in very similar circumstances. Each fatal flame that consumed these innocent lives indicates a disturbing pattern in #Odisha. Three daughters of our soil died in broad daylight because the apathetic administration failed to hear their screams at every turn," added Patnaik.
He also referred to the repeated incidents of such heinous crimes against women being reported across the state almost daily.
"How many more funeral pyres must light up before the state BJP government will wake up? How many more mothers must hold the ashes of their daughters before the BJP government act? It is a terrible neglect by the state BJP government," said Patnaik.
Earlier, the party, during a press conference on Thursday, demanded a Crime Branch probe into the tragic death of the 20-year-old girl and the allegations made by the victim's father regarding police negligence.
The girl student died after setting herself on fire in her residence, allegedly due to blackmail by her former boyfriend.
The victim's father alleged that the accused used to blackmail her by sending obscene photos and videos of the girl after their break-up.
The victim and her father had also approached the local police on the issue around six months ago.
However, police allegedly did not take any action on their complaint and instead, advised to block the boyfriend's number and delete the objectionable photos and videos.
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