‘Don't drag us into politics,' says father of Puri teen who died in Delhi after burn injuries

Time of India

4 days ago

NEW DELHI: The father of a 15-year-old girl from Odisha who died from burn injuries has requested to keep his family away from politics and stated he doesn't want to blame anyone for the incident.
A girl from Puri district with 75 per cent burn injuries, who was airlifted and admitted to AIIMS New Delhi, died on Saturday.
The girl initially alleged she was set on fire by three bike-borne men who poured kerosene on her two weeks ago on July 19. However, police said she set herself ablaze.
"I don't want to point fingers at anyone. Everyone prayed for my daughter, irrespective of religion. I am not upset with anyone. My daughter was not part of my destiny," the victim's father on Sunday.
"I don't want to blame anyone. I request you to please keep me and my family away from politics. Everything was fine till she was at home with us. I don't know how this happened," he added.
The victim's uncle expressed that the family holds no one responsible for her death, acknowledging the government's support and medical staff's efforts.
"God has taken her away from us. We cannot blame anyone now. The government has helped us a lot.
The doctors and the entire staff at the hospital were very good. Everyone has done their job perfectly. We don't have a problem with anyone," the uncle told ANI.
The uncle also mentioned that the girl's father has fallen into depression following the incident.
"The father has slipped into depression. He is not in a state to say anything. Seeing him like this pains me," he said.
Her brother stated, "We cannot even express the extent of our grief.
She was a full-of-life 15-year-old girl. She has struggled a lot, she stayed in the hospital for 14 days. We always had hope, that even though it will take time for her to recover, she will be fine and come home. Yesterday morning we were told she is talking and was fine. We don't know what happened in the afternoon, she was under a lot of discomfort and was put on ventilator.
By the evening, we had lost her..."
A relative of the deceased girl shared their grief with on Sunday.
"It is extremely sad. Everyone is disheartened. She was good. But she has left us," the relative said.
According to the police, the minor girl had gone out with her friends, but was allegedly abducted midway and taken to a riverside, where she was set on fire. The victim reached someone's house from the incident spot, after which she was taken to the hospital by her cousin.
The girl, who sustained 75 per cent burns, was initially admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. She was later airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for treatment, where she passed away on Saturday.
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