A woman's self-immolation attempt outside the Odisha secretariat in Bhubaneswar highlights allegations of police harassment and a prior arrest in a sexual harassment case.
Key Points
- Woman attempts self-immolation outside Odisha secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
- Security personnel prevent the woman from setting herself on fire.
- The woman alleges mental harassment and wrongful detention by Banpur police.
- Police state the woman was arrested in connection with a 2022 sexual harassment case.
- The woman was recently released on bail after nearly three years in judicial custody.
A woman allegedly attempted self-immolation outside the state secretariat in Bhubaneswar on Friday by pouring petrol on herself, police said.
Security Intervenes in Self-Immolation Attempt
Security personnel deployed near gate no 1 of the Lok Seva Bhavan immediately intervened and prevented the woman from setting herself on fire, they said.
The woman, a resident of the Banpur area in Khurda district, was rescued before she could ignite a matchstick and was later taken to Capital Hospital for medical examination and treatment.
Allegations of Harassment and Police Response
The woman alleged that she had been mentally harassed and wrongfully detained by police in Banpur.
However, SDPO (Banpur) Sanjay Kumar Patnaik rejected the allegations and said the woman had been arrested in connection with a sexual harassment case lodged by a 15-year-old girl at the Baripada Town police station in 2022.
Police said the woman had remained in judicial custody for nearly three years and was recently released on bail.
