A professor at Gangadhar Meher University in the western Odisha city of Sambalpur has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a student, putting the university under scrutiny.
This incident comes just days after the tragic death of a female student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, who died after setting herself on fire. She had accused a lecturer of sexually harassing her and alleged that her repeated complaints to college authorities, local MLAs, MPs, and even the Chief Minister’s office were ignored.
According to police, the accused lecturer, Gopichand Suna, lured the student to his government-provided quarters, where he allegedly sexually abused her. His arrest followed a complaint filed by the student, and preliminary investigations reportedly supported her claims. A case has been registered under relevant sections, and further inquiries are underway.
This marks the second high-profile case involving alleged sexual misconduct by a college lecturer in Odisha within a week. The back-to-back incidents have raised serious concerns about student safety and accountability in higher education institutions across the state.
The Balasore tragedy has triggered widespread protests, culminating in a 12-hour statewide bandh on Thursday. Called by the opposition Congress and backed by seven other parties, including the CPI, CPI(M), CPIM(ML), Forward Bloc, RJD, SP, and NCP, the bandh brought Odisha to a near standstill.
Beginning at 6 am and ending at 6 pm, the shutdown severely impacted daily life, especially in the transport and business sectors. Major cities like Bhubaneswar and Cuttack saw deserted roads, while markets, schools, and commercial establishments remained closed across the state.
Train services were disrupted in some areas due to picketing on railway tracks. However, an East Coast Railway (ECoR) official confirmed that police intervention eventually enabled detained trains to resume operations.