Bhubaneswar, July 19 -- Reacting sharply to the horrific incident in which a 15-year-old girl was set on fire by unidentified miscreants in Balanga, Puri district, Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, questioned when the State Government would "wake up from its deep slumber" and take swift, concrete action.

In a post on X, Patnaik demanded a firm assurance from the government to prevent such crimes against women from recurring. Citing the Balanga incident, he also referred to the recent self-immolation attempt by a female student of Fakir Mohan Autonomous College and the gangrape of a young woman in Gopalpur. Patnaik said such horrifying incidents have become a daily occurrence in Odisha.

"These incid...