Bhubaneswar, March 9 (IANS): A professor of a state-run university in Odisha was arrested on Monday for allegedly attempting to rape a girl student, police said.

Minaketan Sahu, professor in the law department in Sambalpur University at Burla in Sambalpur district, about 330 km from the Odisha capital, was arrested for the alleged rape attempt on Sunday in his office room, Superintendent of Police Akhileswar Singh told IANS.

The girl, who is a PhD student at the university, had gone to the professor's room along with another student for some official work where she stayed for some time while her friend left.

Finding her alone, the professor allegedly attempted to rape her, police said.

The student managed to escape and informed about the matter to the authorities and police.

Police arrested the professor on the basis of a written complaint by the student.

This was the second incident of alleged sexual misbehaviour by any professor inside the Sambalpur University campus in the last three months.

A reader of the history department was earlier arrested in January for allegedly molesting the minor daughter of one of his colleagues.