Petrol Bombs at High Court Wall: Woman detained after Viral Video exposes brazen arson attack outside Orissa High Court

In a shocking security breach outside one of India's constitutional courts, a 38 year old woman walked up to the boundary wall of the Orissa High Court in Cuttack on Tuesday, hurled petrol-filled bottles at the premises, and fled, leaving four vehicles in flames and the legal fraternity deeply shaken. The incident, captured on video at the accused's own request and subsequently viral on social media, led to her detention within hours, but has triggered urgent questions about the adequacy of security arrangements surrounding the High Court complex.

The controversy unfolded at approximately 11:30 AM when Minati Sahoo, a resident under the Lalbag police station limits, arrived at the boundary wall of the Orissa High Court carrying a bag concealing two petrol-filled bottles. In a premeditated and calculated move, she handed her mobile phone to nearby vendors and instructed them to record her actions before approaching the wall. She ignited the bottles and hurled them toward the court premises, but her aim fell short, and the burning bottles landed instead on vehicles parked in the vicinity, rapidly engulfing an SUV and three other cars. Sahoo retrieved her phone and fled immediately.

While no casualties were reported as the vehicles were unoccupied, the viral footage handed investigators a critical lead, enabling authorities to identify and detain her within hours. A police team has since been dispatched to trace the petrol pump from which she allegedly procured the fuel.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo confirmed the brazen and deliberate nature of the act, stating that Sahoo "arrived at the spot carrying a bag containing two bottles filled with petrol… gave the nearby vendors her cell phone and asked them to record her before walking up to the boundary wall and setting the bottles ablaze." While the precise motive remains under investigation, authorities have registered a case and confirmed that further legal action will follow based on investigative findings.

The incident has alarmed members of the High Court bar, with Advocate Jyotiranjan Mohanty warning that the consequences could have been catastrophic had the burning bottles reached the court compound.