Three young girls, three fire deaths in one month! A disturbing pattern in Odisha

In a deeply troubling trend, Odisha has witnessed three disturbing cases of young women allegedly dying by fire in the span of a month, all under suspicious and tragic circumstances.

The latest incident involves a final-year Plus 3 student from Kathiapada village under Pattamundai block in Kendrapara district, who was allegedly burned alive inside her house on Wednesday.

Although the investigation has not yet begun officially, preliminary accounts suggest the possibility of foul play. The victim’s father has made a serious allegation, claiming that his daughter was being blackmailed, a fact that, if confirmed, could unravel a broader and more sinister pattern of targeted harassment.

This is not an isolated case. Just weeks earlier, a student from FM College reportedly set herself on fire. Just a few days after, a minor girl from Puri’s Balanga also allegedly died by self-immolation. She was airlifted to AIIMS Delhi, but breathed her last during treatment.

In all three cases, the victims were girls, raising haunting questions about the social and psychological pressures facing young women in Odisha today.

Whether these cases are murders masked as suicides or genuine instances of self-harm, the recurrence and similarity of these incidents cannot be ignored. The common thread — fire, young female victims, and suspicious circumstances — signals a deeply rooted issue that demands urgent attention.

The rising incidents call for the need to prioritize mental health awareness, digital safety, and community-based interventions. Each of these girls had a future that was cruelly extinguished, and it is the collective responsibility of society and the state to ensure this pattern does not repeat.