Bhubaneswar, June 23 (IANS) The Commissionerate Police has arrested a 38-year-old man on charges of sexually abusing a minor student in Bhubaneswar, said a police official on Tuesday.

The accused was identified as Niranjan Mishra of the Mancheswar police station area of Bhubaneswar city. The victim, an undergraduate student at a local college, allegedly came into contact with the accused, who runs a coaching centre in the Saheed Nagar area of the city, a couple of months ago.

According to the complaint, Mishra allegedly established a relationship with the minor girl and induced her to believe they were married by applying sindoor on her forehead at a temple. Thereafter, they lived together in his house. Following a dispute, the victim approached the police and lodged a complaint.

Acting on the complaint, the Bhubaneswar Mahila Police Station launched an investigation and registered a case (178/26) under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

He was arrested on Tuesday and forwarded to court, which later sent him to judicial custody.

It is pertinent to mention that the alleged deterioration of the law-and-order situation, as well as a significant increase in cases of violence against women, has triggered massive outrage against the state government, with opposition parties holding it responsible for the rise.

Notably, in another case of sexual abuse, two persons were arrested earlier this month for allegedly raping a woman at a beauty parlour in Bhubaneswar on the pretext of providing her a job.

The accused, a 51-year-old beauty parlour owner and his 52-year-old staff member, were apprehended after the woman lodged a complaint at Khandagiri police station. Meanwhile, recurring incidents of mob violence in different parts of the state have also become a major cause of concern for the government.

–IANS

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