Balasore man dies after suffering burns while trying to save daughter from attack

A man, who sustained severe burn injuries while allegedly trying to save his daughter from an alleged attack by her husband, died after a week of treatment on Tuesday. 

The deceased has been identified as Rajendra Samantaray of Narayanpur village under Baliapal in Odisha’s Balasore district.

Family Dispute Leads To Attack

The incident occurred on February 17 following a reported family dispute. According to allegations, the accused husband arrived at his in-laws’ house and attempted to set his wife on fire by pouring an inflammable substance on her. In an effort to protect their daughter, Rajendra Samantaray, his wife, and their son sustained serious burn injuries.

Rajendra was initially admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment. He reportedly died while being shifted to a hospital in Bhubaneswar as his condition deteriorated.

Police identified the accused as Karunakar Kabi of Malatri village in the Soro area. He has been arrested, and an investigation is underway.

Sources said Rajendra had married his daughter to Karunakar seven years ago. Allegedly unable to endure harassment by her husband, she had been staying at her father’s house for the past month. It is alleged that on February 17, Karunakar reached his in-laws’ residence, created a disturbance, and set the house on fire, leading to fatal injuries to Rajendra and serious injuries to other family members.

Police said further investigation is in progress to ascertain the sequence of events and fix responsibility.