Puri: A pall of gloom descended on Balanga in Odisha's Puri district as the 15 year-old girl allegedly set on fire by three unknown miscreants and who later succumbed to her injuries at AIIMS Delhi, was laid to rest in her ancestral village Bayabar. 

She was buried as per Islamic traditions, surrounded by grieving family members and relatives amid tight security. Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida was seen during recitation of the Holy Quran as she joined the last rites to support the grieving family. Pipli MLA Ashrit Patnaik was also present.

Three platoons of police personnel were deployed to prevent any law and order situation as waves of grief gripped the entire village.

The minor victim's body was flown back to Bhubaneswar in a special flight that reached the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) at around 10.50 pm on Sunday. The girl, who had suffered 75 per cent burn injuries, succumbed during treatment at AIIMS Delhi after a 14-day battle. 

On July 19, the girl, a resident of Balanga, was allegedly set on fire by unknown miscreants near the banks of the Bhargavi River. Suffering from severe burns, she had managed to run to a house nearby. Locals had come to her rescue and alerted her family. She was initially rushed to Pipili hospital and then to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The girl was airlifted to AIIMS Delhi the following day as her condition deteriorated. 

Despite best efforts from the doctors, she breathed her last on Saturday. 

While the incident, which came close on the heels of the tragic death of the FM College student's death following self-immolation, sparked outrage across the State, Odisha Police stated that no evidence has been found so far to establish the involvement of any other individual in the incident.

Following her death on Saturday, the victim's father in a shocking twist, had claimed that she took her own life due to mental duress and depression. He had also pleaded political parties not to politicise his daughter's death.