'Save me': Man recounts harrowing 90 minutes as girl, set ablaze, knocked on his door; calls for justice
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A 15-year-old girl, allegedly set on fire by three masked men in Odisha's Puri district, was transferred to AIIMS New Delhi, where she remains in stable condition with 70-75%burn injuries.
The class 9 dropout was walking to a relative's home around 8.30am Saturday when she was reportedly intercepted near a river embankment, rendered unconscious by a chemical-lacedcloth, and doused with kerosene before being set ablaze.
Screaming for help, she fled to a nearby house, where Dukshishyam Senapati extinguished the flames and gave her fresh clothes.
'Girl was on fire and screaming in pain'
Recalling the harrowing moment, Senapati said that when he answered his door, he was stunned to find the girl engulfed in flames and crying in agony, as he later explained to DGP YB Khurania during the official's site visit.
"It was around 8.30 am when the girl came to my house, screaming. With the help of my wife, I doused the fire and gave her water as she was very thirsty.
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Later, the women of my family changed her clothes," he said.
Upon questioning, the girl informed Senapati that three unidentified men had set her ablaze. She explained being abducted by motorcycle-riding assailants whilst returning from meeting a friend.
"She said she was walking back home after meeting a friend when she was picked up by three men who arrived on motorcycles. The faces of these men were half-covered, and they took her to a place near the Bhargavi riverbank.
She could not tell their names. She could only say that they covered her face with a handkerchief and poured some substance before setting her on fire," he said.
Senapati noticed that although the girl mentioned being bound during the abduction, her hands were free when she arrived. After learning her father's details, he contacted her family. The large crowd that gathered prevented further conversation with the victim.
Despite searching the area, Senapati couldn't locate the perpetrators. He explained that the attackers fled after setting her alight, presumably expecting her to perish. However, the girl managed to escape and reach his house.
Due to delayed ambulance response, they resorted to an auto rickshaw for hospital transport. The girl remained at his residence for approximately 90 minutes.
The incident has created fear in the village, particularly among children who are now afraid to venture out alone. Senapati urged swift arrest of the culprits.
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