Odisha to shift burn victim to Delhi

A girl battling for life after being set afire by two people last month in Odisha would be shifted to a New Delhi hospital for better treatment.

The girl will be shifted to Safdarjung Hospital later Thursday. A team comprising doctors and family members would accompany the patient, said Bhubanananda Moharana, superintendent of Sriram Chandra Bhanja (SCB) Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where the girl has been under treatment.

Pradip Das and Ekadashi Das set the 14-year-old girl on fire at Kharinashi village in Kendrapada district, about 150 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, July 28. Police arrested Pradip next day, and Ekadashi few days later.

Police said Pradip wanted to marry the elder sister of the victim. He was enraged when the family solemnised her marriage with someone else.

Pradip, a resident of the same village as the girl, allegedly began threatening the family and also the in-laws of the elder sister.

The two invited the victim to his house, dragged her in, and poured kerosene on her before setting her ablaze.

The teenager, a student of Class VII, was shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital July 29 after her condition deteriorated. The victim suffered about 70 percent burn injuries.

Doctors moved her to the intensive care unit of the hospital Wednesday after she experienced trouble breathing.