Kolkata: In what looked like a repeat of the recent rape incident of a female student within the premises of a law college in Kolkata, a woman alleged that she was raped by a student inside a hostel of IIM-Calcutta on Friday.
Based on an FIR lodged by the woman, police arrested a second year MBA student.
Hours later, in a sensational twist, the father of the ‘victim’ said that his daughter was not sexually assaulted, and she was “fine and resting.”
Not only that, IIM-C stated that the complainant was not from the institute, as claimed.
The woman’s father told reporters that he got a call from his daughter at 9.34 pm on Friday, informing him that she had fallen from an auto-rickshaw and fainted.
The father said he found her at the neurology department of SSKM Hospital, where she had been taken by the police.
He said that his daughter was neither tortured nor did someone misbehave with her.
Kolkata Police, however, maintained that the woman did register a written complaint based on which the male student was booked and nabbed. The ‘accused’ was produced before Alipore court and has been remanded to seven days in police custody.
According to a police source, the woman initially went to Thakurpukur police station to report the incident, but since IIM Calcutta campus falls under Haridevpur’s jurisdiction, she was escorted there by a female officer and others.
Police have now started launched an inquiry into the father’s public statement, which contradicts the survivor’s official complaint.
IIM-C statement
The prestigious B-school set the record straight in an official statement.
“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 concerned individual has been taken into police custody, and the legal process is underway,” stated Prof. Saibal Chattopadhyay, IIMC-C Director-in-Charge.
He added that the institute is committed to ensuring due process is followed while safeguarding the dignity, safety, and privacy of all individuals involved.
“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.”
IIM-C further asked people “avoid speculation or dissemination of unverified information which might lead to further confusion and hamper investigation and allow the investigative authorities to carry out their responsibilities independently and fairly.”
