Bhubaneswar: The police in Odisha’s Sambalpur district today arrested an assistant professor of Gangadhar Meher (GM) University on charges of maintaining physical relationship with a girl student on false assurance of marriage.

The 20-year-old girl, a second-year integrated B.Ed student of GM University in Sambalpur, lodged a complaint with the police after the assistant professor ditched her.

The accused has been identified as Gopikant Suna (32), an assistant professor in the department of Education at the varsity.

Suna is a native of Dahita under Buden police limits of Bargarh district. He was staying in his official quarters at Professor Colony in Budharaja area of Sambalpur city.

As per the complaint, the accused assistant professor entered into a physical relationship with the girl on false assurance of marriage but later ditched her.

On the basis of the girl’s complaint, police arrested the accused and produced him in a local court after registering a case in this regard under Section 69 of the BNS.

Taking the issue seriously, the Vice Chancellor (In-Charge) of the university placed the assistant professor under suspension with immediate effect.  

The incident came to light a few days after the self-immolation of a girl student of FM Autonomous College in Balasore district.

The girl, aged around 20 and a B.Ed student, allegedly attempted self-immolation on July 12 after she was subjected to continuous sexual harassment by the head of the Education department of the institute.

The girl had lodged a complaint in this regard with the college authorities as well as police. But, no one allegedly listened to her grievances.

The girl sustained over 90 per cent burn injuries in the incident and she died while being treated at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar on July 14. The tragic incident has triggered a massive public outrage in the state.