Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Odisha College Student Dies After Self-Immolation as Police Probe Stalking, Arrest 24-Year-Old

Police cite prolonged stalking by a 24-year-old suspect, prompting renewed demands for tougher enforcement.

Overview

  • The 18-year-old undergraduate died at Ispat General Hospital in Rourkela after sustaining about 90–92% burns and multiple organ failure.
  • She set herself on fire late Friday at her home in Lanjiberna, Rajgangpur, after a phone call her family describes as threatening.
  • Sundargarh police arrested Nilesh Sahu, 24–25, and say preliminary findings indicate two years of stalking that had recently intensified, including harassment on a bus.
  • Health minister Mukesh Mahaling visited the hospital and discussed an airlift once stable, but doctors said she succumbed on Sunday night.
  • This is the fifth self-immolation case involving young women in Odisha in six months, and opposition leader Naveen Patnaik demanded strict action as the state announced Rs 4 lakh for the family.