Bhubaneswar: The Mancheswar police have arrested Udit Pradhan, the Chhatra Congress president, on charges of raping a young woman after allegedly drugging her with a soft drink in a hotel in Bhubaneswar.
The arrest was made late last night, and police have confirmed that Pradhan will be produced in court on Monday. According to the victim’s complaint, the incident occurred on March 18 this year. The victim, accompanied by a friend and a classmate, was introduced to Pradhan at Master Canteen Square during an outing. The group later went to a hotel in Nayapalli in Pradhan’s car. While at the hotel, the victim declined to consume alcohol and was offered a soft drink instead. The drink was allegedly spiked with a drug, causing her to feel dizzy.
Despite her requests to leave, Pradhan and others prevented her from doing so. She subsequently lost consciousness. Upon regaining consciousness, the victim discovered that she had been sexually assaulted by Pradhan. When confronted, Pradhan allegedly threatened her with dire consequences, leveraging his position as a student leader to intimidate her into silence.
Frightened, the victim initially refrained from reporting the incident but later filed a complaint with the Mancheswar police. Following the arrest, some supporters, including members of Pradhan’s family and the Student Congress, gathered outside the Mancheswar police station.
