Bhubaneswar: The Mancheswar police have arrested Udit Pradhan, the President of the Congress party's student wing in Odisha, on charges of allegedly raping a 19-year-old girl after spiking her drink at a hotel in Bhubaneswar.

According to reports, Udit was picked up by police from his residence late last night and will be produced in court today. The arrest was made on the basis of a complaint filed by the girl, an engineering student. The alleged incident took place on March 18 this year.

As per the complaint, the girl had gone out in the afternoon with two of her friends to the Master Canteen area. There, they were introduced to Udit Pradhan. Later, all four of them went to a hotel in the Nayapalli area in Udit's vehicle.

At the hotel, the group consumed liquor, but the girl refused to drink. Udit allegedly offered her a soft drink, which he had reportedly laced with an intoxicating substance. After consuming the drink, the girl began to feel dizzy and asked to be taken home.

However, Udit and the others reportedly did not let her leave. She eventually lost consciousness. When she regained awareness, she realised that Udit had allegedly raped her. When she confronted him, Udit reportedly threatened her with serious consequences if she spoke out.

Initially, she remained silent over the matter for months. After gathering courage, she lodged a complaint with the Mancheswar police. Following the FIR, police took action against Udit last night.

After news of his arrest broke, around 50 supporters of Udit, including family members and fellow student Congress activists, gathered outside Mancheswar police station. However, police did not allow anyone to enter the premises.

The case is currently under investigation.