Sonepur: Police have detained a youth for an alleged rape attempt on a student in a government school hostel in Subalaya in Odisha's Sonepur district. The incident took place in the hostel of Kasturba Gandhi Girls' High School in Subalaya late on Thursday night.

The accused was identified as Ajay Mahanand. He was detained following a complaint by the headmistress following the incident.

As per reports, the accused youth entered the hostel late in the night taking advantage of a power outage. He then allegedly tried to force himself on one of the girls. When the girl screamed and the power was restored, other girls in the hostel came to her rescue and detained the youth.

The matter was reported to the headmistress who went on to file a complaint at Subalaya police station. A case has been registered and the detained youth is being interrogated, police said.

The incident has raised serious concerns on the safety and security of government hostels and sparked outrage among public. The absence of the warden without taking leave is also under scrutiny as this could have facilitated the youth's entry into the hostel without being caught.