Odisha Shocked Again: Sambalpur Assistant Professor Booked For Sexually Exploiting Student On False Promise of Marriage | India News
New Delhi: In yet another shocking incident from Odisha’s higher education sector, a court in Sambalpur on Thursday remanded a university teacher to judicial custody for allegedly entering into a physical relationship with a female student under the false pretext of marriage.
The incident at Gangadhar Meher University comes just days after a tragic case in Balasore, where a 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College set herself on fire, alleging inaction by authorities after she reported sexual harassment by a faculty member.
In the Sambalpur case, police said the 20-year-old complainant, a second-year student of the integrated BA-BEd course, approached the Mahila Police Station on July 16, accusing Gopikant Suna (32), an assistant professor at the university, of sexually and mentally exploiting her over the past one-and-a-half years.
The accused, a native of Dahita village under Buden police station in Bargarh district, was arrested and produced in court on July 17. He has been placed under suspension by the university following his arrest. A case has been registered under Section 69 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sambalpur police confirmed.
According to media reports, the complaint stated that the professor initially approached the student under the pretext of helping her with her studies. “Over time, he emotionally manipulated her and gained her trust, and then entered into a physical relationship,” the FIR states. The girl also alleged that the accused had maintained similar physical relationships with other students as well.
The student said she suffered an emotional breakdown, anxiety, and depression due to the prolonged exploitation. She further accused the professor of misusing his position of authority to gain her trust and sexually exploit her.
Reports stated that the local police said the accused maintained a physical relationship with the student at his government residence. However, Additional Superintendent of Police Ajay Mishra clarified: “No rape charge has been made as the student is a major, and it happened with her consent.”
Inspector General (Northern Range) Himanshu Lal stated, “Police took swift action as soon as the complaint was lodged.”
According to media reports, the University authorities stated that they were unaware of the matter until police informed them of the arrest. The Vice-Chancellor of Gangadhar Meher University said, “She directly went to the police. We came to know about it after the police conveyed the news of the teacher’s arrest on Wednesday night. We have zero tolerance for sexual harassment, and we would have acted if she had registered a complaint with us.”
The accused faculty member joined the university in 2020, according to official records.
This latest case has once again raised serious concerns about the safety of students on college campuses in Odisha, particularly in light of the recent incident in Balasore, which drew statewide outrage.
