Assaulted Dalit woman dies at Cuttack hospital

A Dalit woman, who was allegedly assaulted and paraded naked by a mob at her native Kujang village in Cuttack district last month, died in a hospital in Cuttack on Monday.

Sasmita Mallick, who was undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital, died of renal failure and septicaemia, the hospital's emergency officer B N Moharana said.

"Sasmita was undergoing treatment in the central ICU of the hospital and was on life support system for the past two days. The cause of her death is acute renal failure and septicaemia," Moharana said.

Sasmita was attacked on June 14 at her native village by a group of neighbourers over a trivial issue. She was allegedly paraded naked by the accused and thrashed, leading to serious head injuries and multiple fractures.

Sashmita was taken to SCB Medical College and Hospital and later to a private hospital for a brief period from where she was released.

In July, she was re-admitted to the S C B Hospital and put in the ICU under ventilation.

Four of the five accused, named in the FIR by the victim's husband Satyananda Mallick, have been netted.

Sasmita's death has again become a major political issue for the opposition which has been cornering Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the "worsening law and order situation" in the state.

The incident had triggered a statewide outrage with political parties and social organisations, including the Human Rights Commissions taking note as the state quickly announced an assistance of Rs 2 lakh for her treatment.