Bhubaneswar, 19 July (H.S.): Expressing grave concern over the recent incident in which a minor girl was set on fire in broad daylight in Puri district’s Balanga area, Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has strongly condemned the attack and questioned the state government's failure to ensure women’s safety.
In a social media post, Patnaik wrote, “Deeply anguished to know that a young girl was set on fire in the Balanga area of Puri district. This attempt to kill her happened in broad daylight. I strongly condemn this horrible act.”
He further highlighted that this incident follows a disturbing pattern of violence against women in Odisha, pointing out recent cases including a young girl allegedly self-immolating at FM College after being denied justice, and another horrific assault in Gopalpur last month.
“These are not stray cases of violence,” Patnaik asserted. “Such incidents, occurring with shocking regularity, point to a deep systemic failure of governance. It shows that criminals have become emboldened under the present government and are not worried about being punished.”
The former Chief Minister criticized the current administration for what he called “government inaction and political patronage,” saying that Odisha is becoming increasingly unsafe for women.
“Will the Odisha government wake up from this deep slumber and take speedy action so that the criminals are arrested?” he asked, further urging the authorities to take proactive steps to ensure such incidents are not repeated.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda
