Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 12: A student of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, was arrested allegedly for raping a woman, a counsellor, inside the boys’ hostel, but her father denied she was raped and insisted that she became unconscious after falling from an autorickshaw.
The police said on Saturday that the student was arrested after the woman registered a complaint with the Haridevpur Police Station that she was raped by a student in a boys’ hostel of the business school. The alleged incident inside the boys’ hostel of IIM-Calcutta took place on Friday, a police officer said.
“The woman stated in the FIR that she was called to the hostel for a counselling session. She then became unconscious after consuming a drink laced with drugs at the hostel. The woman realised she had been raped after regaining consciousness,” he said.
She also alleged that the accused had threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed the matter to anyone, the officer said. “The accused student was detained last night before being formally arrested,” he said. Further investigation is underway. A case has been initiated based on the survivor’s complaint, the police official said. The accused has been remanded to police custody till July 19. His lawyer told the court that he was being framed.
The father of the woman denied that anything of the sort happened and said his daughter fell out of an autorickshaw. The lawyer of the accused student, who has been arrested, told a court in Kolkata that the woman was a counsellor. He said the two had connected online and the woman had gone to the student’s hostel at IIM-C to provide counselling.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the father said he received a call at 9:34 pm on Friday informing him that his daughter had fallen out of an auto and lost her senses. He was told she was admitted to the neurology department of SSKM hospital and that the police had rescued her and taken her there.
He said his daughter told him no sexual assault had occurred. “The police told me they have registered a case and arrested someone. My daughter said the police told her to say something during the medical exam, and she did not,” the man said.
“I have spoken to my daughter. She said no one tortured her or misbehaved with her. I have got back my daughter, she is normal. She has no connection with the man who has been arrested… I have not been able to speak to her at length. She is sleeping. I will talk to her after she wakes up… She had gone to submit a document,” he added.
The father emphasised that his daughter was asked to write something at the police station as part of a complaint, and she did. When a reporter asked him if his daughter is in trauma, he replied, “No, she is completely fit.”
In a statement, Saibal Chattopadhyay, Director-in-Charge, IIM Calcutta, said the college was cooperating with the police and has zero tolerance for such incidents.
“The administration of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta has been made aware of a serious complaint involving one of our students and the Complainant is not of the Institute. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and are fully cooperating with the law enforcement authorities, who are currently conducting an investigation… The Institute is committed to ensuring that due process is followed while safeguarding the dignity, safety, and privacy of all individuals involved,” the statement said.
“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,” it added.
The rape charge, if correct, came almost a fortnight after a 24-year-old student was allegedly gang-raped in a law college in Kolkata, also inside the premises of the institution. Three men and the security guard of the college were arrested in connection with the case, which triggered sharp political reactions since the main accused in the case was a leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress youth wing.