Police launch probe into viral video of minor Puri girl who died of burn injuries

Bhubaneswar, Aug 18 (PTI) The Odisha Police said it has launched a probe into the viral video containing the statement of the minor girl of Puri district, who died of burn injuries at AIIMS New Delhi on August 2.

Asserting that the statement in the video does not accurately represent her actual testimony, the police said it wanted to know who recorded the video and how it went to social media.

In the purported video, the girl can be heard saying that three unidentified youths with their faces covered abducted her and set her on fire when she was returning home on July 19. This was also the content of her mother’s FIR registered at Balanga Police Station on the same day.

PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Hours after her death, the police said in an X post: “According to the investigation conducted so far, it is clear that no other person is involved.” Her father also said, without elaborating, that his daughter was “under mental pressure and took her life”.

“We have sought the assistance of the cyber cell of the Crime Branch to find out the person involved in making the minor girl’s statement viral,” a statement issued by the Puri police said.

Noting that identifying the minor victim is “illegal,” the police said stringent action will be taken against the persons who made the video viral, which has been in circulation on social media for the past two days.

The Puri police claimed that the leaked video statement does not accurately represent the victim’s actual testimony before her death.

“The victim’s statement was recorded four times—thrice at AIIMS-Delhi and once at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. The initial statement recorded by the Bhubaneswar sub-collector lacked clarity. Therefore, subsequent statements were recorded by police, doctors, and a Judicial Magistrate in Delhi. The statement was documented in writing and videographed,” the police statement said.

It said that the victim’s family was aware of her statement being recorded by the police in presence of the magistrate in Delhi.

Police sources said that they had to record the statement of the victim four times as she frequently changed her versions. All her statements and related documents will be presented in court soon, they said.

Puri SP Pinak Mishra said the probe is underway to ascertain how the “confidential video” could be made viral and identify the people behind the act, which is illegal.

He said that the video in question appeared to have been recorded on July 19 when preparations were made to airlift her to AIIMS-Delhi.

“The viral video is also being examined to ascertain its genuineness,” he said.

The SP also urged people to ignore such video and refrain from forwarding them as it was against the Juvenile Justice Act.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty at a press conference on Sunday alleged that the state government was trying to cover up the incident and shielding the guilty.

Responding to this, BJP spokesperson Surath Biswal said, “The opposition is politicising the sensitive issue. Soon after the girl’s death on August 2, her father came out with a video statement saying she had died by suicide due to mental stress and depression.” Meanwhile, BJD MP Sulata Deo allegedly received rape and murder threats from a social media user in response to her Facebook post on the girl’s video statement.

Deo flagged the issue on X, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, the PMO, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and Odisha DGP YB Khurania, and shared screenshots of the threats.

“If a female MP can face such threats, how safe are other women in the state?” the MP asked.

She said that she would raise the issue in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament and file a police complaint. PTI AAM NN