Bhubaneswar: A 15-year-old girl was set on fire by unidentified persons in Puri district on Saturday. The girl is undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar and she is in a critical condition, having suffered 70 per cent burn injuries, but she is able to speak.

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is in charge of the Women and Child Development department, said the government will bear the expenses of the girl’s treatment and that the police have been asked to arrest the culprits as soon as possible. The incident comes close on the heels of a 20-year-old college student of FM College in Balasore immolating herself over sexual harassment on July 12. She died on July 14.

The incident took place at Bayabar village in Balanga police station area around 9 am when the girl was returning from her friend’s house. Preliminary investigation revealed that three unidentified motorcycle-borne youths intercepted her, forcibly took her to the banks of Bhargavi river, poured an inflammable substance on her and set her on fire, a police officer said.

The miscreants fled the spot after setting the girl on fire. Locals doused the fire and later took her to Pipili government hospital, from where she was shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The girl’s parents lodged an FIR at Balanga police station, the officer said, adding she was a Class 8 dropout and her father works at an automobile repair workshop.

Odisha Director General of Police Y B Khurania said the police will soon nab the accused persons. “This is a sensitive incident. The police will explore legal possibilities to punish the accused persons,” he said.

Puri SP Pinak Mishra, who was at the spot, said police were probing the incident and were questioning some people. Scientific teams are engaged in the investigation. No one has been detained or arrested so far, the SP said.

Pipili Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Debasish Mishra said the girl suffered burn injuries on her back, abdomen and other parts. “Two teams have been formed to nab the culprits. We are trying to search for clues from CCTV cameras installed in private homes,” he said.

The police team, during the spot verification, got hold of the bottle which contained the inflammable substance that was used to burn the girl, Mishra said. “A dog squad has been deployed to search for the accused persons, while a manhunt has been launched in the neighbouring areas in the district as well as Bhubaneswar,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Parida, in an X post, stated: “I am saddened and shocked to hear the news that some miscreants at Balanga in Puri district poured petrol on a fifteen-year-old girl and set her on fire.”

“The girl has been immediately shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, and all arrangements are being made for her treatment. All the expenses of the treatment will be borne by the government. The police administration has been directed to arrest the culprits immediately and take strict action,” she said.