KENDRAPADA: A 20-year-old college student in the district allegedly set herself on fire on Wednesday after her former boyfriend (24) apparently threatened to leak their intimate photos and videos on social media following their breakup. The girl, a final-year political science student, was found dead at home by her father (60), who has blamed police inaction for the tragedy. According to him, when they tried to file a complaint against the former boyfriend, police officers advised them to block his number rather than taking action against him.“Around six months back, my daughter and I had gone to Pattamundai (rural) police station to lodge an FIR against her ex-boyfriend as he had threatened to leak her private photos and videos on social media platforms. But police officers did not take necessary steps to file a case and advised us to block his mobile number instead. Due to gross negligence of the police, my daughter was forced to end her life,” the girl’s father alleged.
He also claimed that his daughter had been living in fear for six months due to threats from her former boyfriend, with whom she had been in a relationship for two years.The incident comes days after a college student in Balasore set herself on fire over alleged sexual harassment by her department head and supposed inaction by the college authorities. Since that incident on July 12, Odisha has witnessed at least four such self-immolation cases. In response to the father’s allegation, superintendent of police Siddharth Kataria assured a thorough and impartial investigation. “Every aspect of the incident will be thoroughly probed, and whosoever is found guilty will face action as per law,” Kataria said. He emphasized that police personnel would be held accountable if it is found they have been negligent.A forensic team has been deployed to gather evidence, and a case has been filed under Sections 108 (abetment to suicide) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of BNS. However, no arrests have been made yet.Opposition leaders from BJD, Congress and Left parties criticised the police for their handling of the case and demanded the immediate arrest of the accused boyfriend. Two platoons of police have been deployed in the village to maintain law and order as investigation continues. The girl’s body has been sent for autopsy, with authorities awaiting the postmortem report to determine the exact cause of death.
