Police say woman raped at IIM-C; her father denies claim
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Police say woman raped at IIM-C; her father denies claim
A second-year student of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) was arrested for allegedly drugging and raping a woman. The accused, Paramanand Mahaveer Toppannawar, 26, was produced before an Alipore court on Saturday, which sent him to police custody till July 19. The incident came days after a 24-year-old student was allegedly gang-raped and assaulted in a government-run law college in Kolkata, triggering a huge political row. The woman, a psychologist, said in her complaint that the accused touched her inappropriately and assaulted her when she tried to leave the room. The victim’s father, however, said she was pressured into filing the complaint, without mentioning who might have swayed her to approach the police. The institute said it has “zero tolerance for such incidents’ and is committed to ensuring that due process is followed. The court hearing was held under section 183 of the BNSS.
According to police, the accused, Paramanand Mahaveer Toppannawar, 26, and the complainant, a 24-year-old psychologist, got in touch through social media and he asked her to come to the institute’s campus in southwest Kolkata on Friday morning for a counselling session.
“He didn’t let me register my credentials at the gate…He requested me to follow him to the hostel to have some privacy for the counselling,” the woman said in her complaint, a copy of which HT has seen.
At around 11.45am, the two went to room number 151 of the Lake View Hostel inside the campus, where the accused, a resident of Karnataka, was staying, police said. The complainant said that she had pizza and water in the room, after which she felt drowsy and nauseous.
“In my haziest memory all I can recall is that he started to touch me inappropriately. He sexually assaulted me,” she said in the complaint.
The woman’s father, however, said she was pressured into filing the complaint. “My daughter said that no one misbehaved with her. She called me around 9.40pm on Friday and said that she fell down from a vehicle and lost consciousness. She was made to file the complaint,” he said without mentioning who might have swayed her to approach the police.
A senior police officer, however, said: “The victim is an adult. Her statement would be recorded before a magistrate under section 183 of the BNSS.”
According to public prosecutor Sourin Ghosal, the woman’s medical test was done on Saturday, and it confirmed sexual assault.
“The doctor has documented that she was subjected to sexual assault. She has narrated the entire incident,” Ghosal said after the court hearing.
In her complaint, the woman alleged that she tried to leave the room, but the accused stopped her and assaulted her when she tried to resist his advances.The woman added that she regained consciousness at around 8.35pm on Friday and went to the Haridevpur police station to lodge the complaint.
“We have registered a case under sections 64 (rape), 123 (administering drug to commit offence), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 115(12) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 76 (forcefully disrobing a woman) of the BNS. The accused was produced before a court in Alipore on Saturday. The court sent him to police custody till July 19,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.
IIM-C director-in-charge Saibal Chattopadhyay said in a statement that the institute has “zero tolerance for such incidents” and is committed to ensuring that due process is followed.
“We wish to affirm that the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta has zero tolerance for such incidents and remains steadfast in upholding a safe and respectful campus environment. We are also taking all necessary steps to support the process of ongoing investigation and ensure that institutional protocols are adhered to,” the statement said.
The accused’s counsel Subrata Sardar, also rejected the sequence of events narrated by the complainant. “She said that she entered the hostel without registering her name in the visitors’ book. We all know IIM is a very secure place where entry of outsiders is not allowed without disclosing their details,” Sardar said.
A retired police officer said officials can rely on a series of evidence to resolve the confusion over the case.
“The tower location of the victim’s and the accused’s mobile phones, footages of CCTV in the campus, the call data record of the mobile phones, the victim’s statement under section 183 and the medical tests of both the accused and the victim will help to do away with any kind confusion,” he said on condition of anonymity.
The incident came days after a 24-year-old student was allegedly gang-raped and assaulted in a government-run law college in the heart of Kolkata, triggering a huge political row. The Opposition lashed out at the ruling Trinamool Congress over the IIM-C incident and said that it was reflective of the “worsening” law and order situation in the state.
“The security guards are stopping us from entering the campus. But where was this security earlier when the woman was allegedly assaulted inside the hostel?” Congress leader Asutosh Chatterjee said.
Union MoS for education Sukanta Majumdar said he has sought a report from the institute’s director on the incident. “I have sought a report from the IIM director. Law-and-order is a state subject. Police are investigating the matter, and they will take action as per the law,” he said.
The state’s ruling TMC said the incident should not be politicised and the police should be allowed to do their job. “We must wait for investigations to be completed. IIM-C is a leading institute that is under the Centre. They have a security system. We should not do anything to derail proper investigation. Let the truth come out,” party state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said.