Sambalpur (Odisha)- A disturbing case of alleged sexual exploitation has surfaced from GM University in Sambalpur, where an assistant professor has been arrested for reportedly engaging in a physical relationship with a female student under the false promise of marriage.
The accused, Gopikant Suna, aged 32, is an assistant professor in the Department of Education. He hails from Dahita village in Bargarh district and had been residing in official university quarters at the Professor Colony in Budharaja, Sambalpur.
The complaint was filed by a 20-year-old second-year integrated B.Ed student, who alleged that Suna lured her into a relationship with the promise of marrying her, only to later abandon her. Following her complaint, local police arrested the professor and presented him before the court.
This incident has emerged just days after another tragic case shocked the state—a young B.Ed student from FM Autonomous College in Balasore allegedly attempted self-immolation on July 12 after repeated sexual harassment by the head of her department. The 20-year-old victim had reportedly approached both college authorities and the police, but her pleas for help went unanswered.
She sustained over 90% burn injuries and succumbed to them at AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 14, sparking a wave of public outrage and demands for stronger safeguards and accountability within educational institutions across Odisha.
Both cases have intensified scrutiny on campus safety and the handling of sexual harassment allegations by institutions, raising pressing questions about power misuse and institutional apathy in higher education.
