NSUI’s Odisha unit head arrested for ‘raping’ 19-year-old student; suspended from post

The Odisha Police late Sunday night arrested Udit Pradhan, the state unit president of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), for allegedly raping a 19-year-old student. He will be produced in court on Monday.

Following the arrest, NSUI national president Varun Choudhary announced on Monday that Pradhan has been “suspended with immediate effect, pending inquiry”. The Odisha unit of the Congress also formed a six-member fact-finding committee, which will meet the complainant and submit a report to the state Congress president soon.

Pradhan has been booked under sections 64 (1) (rape), 123 (causing hurt by means of poison), 296 (obscene acts and songs), 74 (use of criminal force against a woman), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The arrest comes at a time when the Congress party has stepped up its attack against the BJP government in Odisha over recent issues of crime against women, including the death of a student at a leading college in Balasore. The Congress is yet to issue a statement on the latest development.