A man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to rape the wife of an assistant professor of Fakir Mohan University in Odisha's Balasore district at his official quarters on the campus, police said on Sunday.
The incident took place on Saturday afternoon when the man, posing as an LPG cylinder mechanic, entered the assistant professor's quarters.
The accused rang the doorbell and the woman opened the door. He offered a routine check of the LPG cylinder in the kitchen. Once he entered the house, he allegedly locked the door and attempted to catch hold of the woman, her husband said in a complaint with Remuna police station.
However, the woman could manage to escape and locked herself in another room, called up her husband and screamed for help. The security personnel present at the colony gates rushed to the house and managed to overpower the accused. He was handed over to the police.
The accused has been identified as Shankar Patra, a resident of Nilgiri area in Balasore district.
The incident sparked tension on the Fakir Mohan University campus which houses official quarters and women's hostels.
At least eight women are sexually assaulted in Odisha every day, according to official records, prompting the Opposition parties to submit a memorandum to governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Thursday, seeking urgent intervention in addressing crimes against women in the state.
As per the white paper of the Odisha government, a total of 3,054 rape cases were reported in 2024 alone, an eight per cent rise from the previous year. Women activists, however, say the actual figures are much higher, with many victims choosing not to report crimes due to social stigma.
Just few days back, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik took to X to criticise what he called a “disturbing wave of crimes against women” gripping Odisha under the BJP-led government.
“Today’s news about rape in Jajpur, gangrape in Jagatsinghpur and Malkangiri and sexual assault in Puri … deeply saddens and horrifies all of us,” Patnaik wrote.
Patnaik blamed a breakdown in police accountability due to political interference, saying, “This surge in sexual assaults reflects a troubling erosion of law enforcement. When the various ranks of the police face interference and political pressure, accountability weakens, and women and girls pay the price first.”
