IIM-Calcutta rape case: Accused informed institute as per protocol, security lapse allegations baseless

In the alleged rape case involving a woman at the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C), the preliminary investigation has found no security lapse on part of the institute. Officials confirmed that the woman’s entry into the campus and the hostel premises was not unauthorised, contrary to initial allegations.

According to the police, documents provided by IIM-C management showed that the accused student, Paramanand Mahaveer Toppannavar alias Paramanand Jain (26), had informed the institute in advance about the woman’s visit. He sent an email a day before the alleged incident, notifying the authorities about a scheduled meeting with her. This email was part of the institution’s official security protocol.

The accused, a second-year student at the institute, is currently in police custody. He was produced in court on July 12 and remanded to custody till July 19. He is expected to be presented before the court again on Saturday. The case was registered based on a complaint filed by the woman at Haridevpur police station, in which she alleged that the accused raped her inside his hostel room on July 11.

Police officials stated that the investigation has been hindered by the victim’s refusal to cooperate. Despite repeated requests, she has declined to undergo the mandatory medical examination. Additionally, she did not appear before the court this week to record her statement under Section 164 of the CrPC before the magistrate. She has also not submitted the clothes she claimed to be wearing at the time of the incident.

Officials also pointed to inconsistencies in the statements made by the woman and her father. While the woman filed a rape complaint, her father has maintained from the beginning that nothing wrong happened with his daughter. The discrepancies, along with the lack of cooperation, have added complexity to the ongoing investigation.