Odisha Girl Dies After Being Set Afire By Two Youths

In spite of widespread outcry against perpetrators of sex crimes, some people simply can't desist the monster inside them. In Kalahandi, Odisha, a minor girl succumbed to her injuries a week after being set afire by two youths who had earlier hurled vulgar abuses to her on the street.

What was the crime of the Class X student, Tapaswini Rana? That she responded to the nuisance by informing her parents about the two miscreants -- identified as Sana Sahoo and Bulu Das. Tapaswini's mother had warned the duo to stay away from her daughter. But since when do self-entitled young men behave as they are told?

On January 11, the duo realised that the girl was alone at her home, so they came over and promptly set her on fire. Tapaswini was initially admitted to a hospital at Burla, but as her condition worsened, she was later shifted to Ispat General Hospital (IGH) in Rourkela, where she passed away.

The Crime Branch of Odisha Police has arrested the two prime suspects and are also probing four more people who might have a role in the incident. Rourkela Additional District Magistrate Monisha Banerjee has arranged for Rs 2,000 from the Red Cross and also a vehicle to transport the girl’s body to Madhupur village after post-mortem. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, who visited the hospital, has asked for Rs 10 lakh compensation for the girl's family. He demanded strict action against the culprits to set an example for others not to tread the same path.

Those who blame a girl's attire or her lifestyle for inviting such heinous assault, I wonder how they would even begin to justify something like this? A girl is not safe in her own house, she is not at liberty to speak out against injustice. Lives are damaged and lost every single day because some men (#notallmen) feel they can get away with anything. Because aren't there so many assault cases already pending in our courts with the perpetrators roaming around scot-free?And #YesAllWomen are relegated to being objects which can be played with and broken. This needs to stop.

Read More by Amrita Paul