Woman attempts self-immolation in front of Odisha CM's residence

A woman, allegedly sexually harassed by a BJD candidate, tried to immolate herself outside the Odisha Chief Minister's residence. She claimed that though complaint had been lodged, her grievance was not addressed.

Bhubaneswar:A woman, allegedly sexually harassed by a BJD candidate, tried to immolate herself outside Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's residence on Wednesday, police said.

Security personnel deployed outside Patnaik's home, Naveen Niwas, rescued the woman and sent her to a hospital where her condition was stated to be normal.

"Though she poured kerosene on her body, security people did not allow her to set herself on fire," the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bhubaneswar Anup Sahoo, said.

The woman alleged that she was sexually harassed by Srinath Soren BJD candidate of Udala assembly constituency in Mayurbhanj district.

She claimed that though she had lodged a complaint with the police, her grievance was not addressed.

Soren, on the other hand, rejected the allegation and claimed that he did not know her.

"This could be a conspiracy against me by my political rivals," Soren said.