IIM-Calcutta rape case: West Bengal police form 9-member SIT for probe

The West Bengal police have formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged rape of a woman on the premises of the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta campus. The development comes after the victim's father dismissed the claims and said she suffered injuries after she fell from an autorickshaw. 

 

According to police, the deputy police commissioner of southwest division of the Kolkata police has formed a nine-member team to probe the case. According to the victim, she was sexually assaulted by a student of IIM-Calcutta while she visited him in his room in the college hostel on Friday night.

 

 Kolkata police have arrested the accused, Mahaveer Toppannvar alias Parmanand Jain, based on victim's complaint lodged with Haridevpur police. A Kolkata court on Saturday remanded the accused to police custody till July 19. 

 

According to police, the alleged incident took place on Friday night, when the victim, who is not a student of the institution, visited the accused in the hostel for a counselling session.

 

"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," a police officer told PTI. Police said the accused allegedly threatened the victim that she would face dire consequences if she disclosed the incident to anyone. 

 

IIM Calcutta director-in-charge, Saibal Chattopadhyay, said in a statement that they are treating the incident with utmost seriousness and they are fully cooperating with the investigation. "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," he said.

 

Chattopadhyay said the campus has zero tolerance towards such incidents, and they will take necessary action as required.

India