(MENAFN- IANS) Bhubaneswar, July 21 (IANS) Senior BJP leader Amit Malviya on Monday targeted the opposition BJD and Congress, accusing the opposition parties of shielding criminals.

His statement came in the wake of the arrest of Udit Pradhan, the Odisha State President of Congress's student wing, on charges of raping a 19-year-old engineering student in Bhubaneswar.

Amit Malviya, who is the BJP's IT cell chief, also blamed the BJD and Congress for the tragic death of a Balasore FM Autonomous College student following self-immolation over sexual harassment.

He accused the opposition parties of engaging in a vile campaign of character assassination against the deceased FM college girl, forcing her to take the extreme step.

"This comes close on the heels of another horrific case - where student leaders from both BJD and Congress were complicit in driving the Balasore sexual assault victim to suicide through a vile campaign of character assassination," alleged Malviya on X on Monday.

The senior BJP leader accused the BJD and Congress of shielding criminals. "How long will these parties shield predators in their ranks? How many more young women must suffer before there is accountability? Silence is complicity, " added Malviya.

In a shocking development, the Commissionerate Police arrested Udit Pradhan, the president of Odisha Chhatra Congress (National Students Union of India), late Sunday night.

Based on the complaint lodged by the victim, a case (419/25) was registered at the Mancheswar Police Station in Bhubaneswar. As per the complainant, the accused Pradhan took her to a hotel along with her friends on the pretext of going on an outing. The accused allegedly intoxicated the victim by mixing a substance in her drink before committing the assault in the hotel on March 18. The police have taken Pradhan into custody, and an investigation is underway to ascertain the details of the incident.

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