A tense quiet hangs over Bayabar village in Odisha’s Puri district after a 15-year-old girl, badly burned in a July 19 incident, died at AIIMS Delhi on Saturday. Most residents have stayed indoors, while police maintain a strong presence near her home.
Family members are believed to be in Delhi for the postmortem, though preparations for a traditional funeral have begun in the village.
The girl’s father released a video saying the government “did whatever possible” and urged people not to politicise her death, claiming she ended her life due to “mental pressure.”
Earlier, her mother alleged in an FIR that three men abducted and set her on fire. Police, however, say their investigation so far shows “no one was involved” but have yet to explain how the fire started.
Security has been tightened in the area, with additional police deployed in Puri and Bhubaneswar.
