Cuttack: A laboratory demonstrator at Cuttack College was arrested on Saturday for "working as a dictator", terrorising the teaching and non-teaching staff and "orchestrating lawlessness along with his criminal associates on the campus".

Surendra Patra alias Jatia, 52, of Chauliaganj Matha Sahi, has been charged with sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 294 (obscene acts), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (criminal act with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Cuttack deputy commissioner of police Akhileswar Singh said Patra, who has been working at Cuttack College, Bidyadharpur, since its inception, "is rowdy in nature and has been dominating the college administration with the support of local goons".

"He has also engaged himself in illegal collection of money from the students for admission, examination and for obtaining pass certificates. He used to share a portion of the money collected this way with his criminal aides," Singh said.

He added that Patra "gradually took over the administrative control of the college and worked as a dictator, compelling the entire staff and students follow his diktat".

"Nobody had the power to raise his or her voice against Patra in the college. He used to lock the gate of the college forcibly by engaging security personnel, stopping entry of the teaching and non-teaching staff and students if they were even five minutes late to arrive. He used to abuse others," Singh said.

Police intervened after a senior woman lecturer of the college mustered the courage to lodge an FIR with Chauliaganj police on March 29.

The lecturer, Sibabani Mohapatra, alleged that she was "harassed and put under constant fear of murder" by the accused. Singh said the case was under investigation and that Patra would be taken in remand.

Police records revealed that Patra had earlier been named as accused in seven cases at Chauliaganj police station, including one for ransacking the house of Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Pravat Biswal in 2014.