Odisha student Cong leader arrested over rape of engineering student

Bhubaneswar: National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Odisha President Udit Pradhan has been arrested by Mancheswar Police in Bhubaneswar for allegedly raping a 19-year-old female engineering student after spiking her soft drink with intoxicants.

NSUI is the student wing of the Congress party.

According to police sources, Udit was detained late Sunday night and is set to be produced before a court on Monday. The arrest followed a formal complaint lodged by the survivor.

According to the FIR, the incident occurred on March 18. The victim, along with a female friend and a male classmate, had gone out to Master Canteen Square.

There, her friend introduced them to Udit Pradhan. Later, they proceeded to a hotel in the Nayapalli area in Udit’s vehicle.

At the hotel, the group consumed alcohol, though the victim declined to drink. According to the victim, Udit allegedly offered her a soft drink, which he had secretly laced with sedatives, police sources said.

Shortly after consuming the drink, the victim began to feel dizzy and requested to be dropped off at home. However, Udit and others reportedly refused. She soon lost consciousness.

According to the sources, the victim said that when she regained awareness, she found that Udit had allegedly sexually assaulted her. When she confronted him, he reportedly threatened her with serious consequences if she spoke out or filed a complaint.

Despite the delay in filing the complaint, police have initiated a full investigation, citing the gravity of the allegations.

Authorities confirmed that further inquiries are underway and additional details will be released as the probe progresses.

This comes just weeks after the arrest of Trinamool Congress student leader Monojit Mishra for the rape of a female student of the South Calcutta Law College in West Bengal.

The woman was allegedly raped by two senior students and an alumnus of the institute in the guard’s room on June 25.

–IANS