Sambalpur: A university professor in Odisha’s Sambalpur district was arrested Thursday for allegedly sexually exploiting a woman student under the false promise of marriage — a fresh scandal that surfaced as the state witnessed a bandh over the death of a girl student of FM Autonomous College in Balasore.
Police arrested Assistant Professor Gopikanta Suna of Gangadhar Meher University after a second-year Integrated B.Ed student lodged an FIR Wednesday at Sambalpur Mahila police station. The student alleged that Suna, promising marriage, entered into a physical relationship with her but later refused to fulfil the commitment.
Suna, a native of Dahita village under Bheden police limits in Bargarh district, was booked under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and taken into custody from his government residence in Professor Colony. He was produced in court Thursday.
It can be mentioned here that the FM Autonomous College girl student died July 14 at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, two days after she attempted self-immolation. The incident has triggered widespread outrage across the state.
In response, the state government has arrested both the accused professor and the college principal in the Balasore case, announced a Rs 20 lakh compensation for the student’s family and launched a probe into institutional lapses.
PNN
