Daijiworld Media Network - Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Jul 21: Udit Pradhan, president of the Odisha unit of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), has been arrested for allegedly raping a 19-year-old engineering student in a hotel room in Bhubaneswar.

According to the survivor’s police complaint, she had met two friends at Master Canteen Chowk on March 18 when Udit Pradhan joined them, introduced himself, and allegedly began misbehaving with her. The group later checked into a hotel room where Pradhan reportedly offered her a cold drink that left her feeling dizzy.

"I don’t drink, so I refused alcohol. He offered me a cold drink. After I drank it, I started feeling dizzy. I asked them to drop me home, and then I passed out. When I regained consciousness, I found Udit Pradhan next to me and felt something wrong had happened," she said in her complaint.

The arrest comes at a politically charged moment as the Congress has been targeting the BJP-led Odisha government over rising crimes against women, especially following the death of a college student who self-immolated while protesting sexual harassment by a faculty member.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha launched a fierce attack on the Odisha government, calling the student’s death an “organised murder by the system” and blaming the BJP’s failure to protect her.

With Udit Pradhan’s arrest, the BJP is now expected to retaliate sharply against the Congress, potentially shifting the political narrative in the state. Investigations in the rape case are ongoing.