New Delhi: Four days after allegations of rape rocked the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta campus, the nine-member SIT of the Kolkata police is yet to confirm the exact sequence of events that led to the incident. And it’s not just the cops, there is confusion on campus too about different versions of the incident doing the rounds. Police officers say they’re corroborating evidence to match the different versions, and facing a hard time as the accused seems to evade all questions, even as the survivor’s family remains unresponsive.
As per the allegations made by the 24-year-old woman, a clinical psychologist by profession, the accused, identified as Paramanand Mahaveer Toppannawar, had called her to the Joka campus on Friday, for a counselling session.
In her complaint, the psychologist added that she was offered lunch and water inside the hostel room. She claimed the food was spiked, following which, she lost her consciousness, and was sexually assaulted, as submitted by the investigating officer in court.
The accused is a resident of Bengaluru, Karnataka, and is an engineering graduate. He is 26 years old. He will be in police’s custody till 19 July, and has been arrested under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 64 (rape) and 123 (administering drugs or poison), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 115(12) (hurt), and 76 (forcefully disrobing a woman).
“In course of investigation the accused person was further interrogated and he made some contradictory and misleading statements, he kept mum regarding the password of his mobile phone to evade collection of evidence from his mobile phone, ” the investigating officer submitted in court.
The accused, during interrogation, reportedly admitted to buying sleeping pills from a nearby pharmacy to put in cold drinks and water offered to the woman. So far, police has not clarified his intent.
So far, forensic teams have managed to secure different types of evidence from the room, including strands of hair.
Ongoing investigations
The complaint states that the survivor visited the campus around 11:45 am, but as per the police’s investigation, her phone location reveals she was around campus at 11 am. The woman filed a handwritten complaint, addressed to the Haridevpur Police Station on Friday evening.
“Even as the timeline needs to be matched with the versions of both accused and victim, the victim’s family has not remained in contact with police, despite a medico-legal test and a confidential statement before the Magistrate was scheduled on Monday, at least three days after the incident took place, the victim family wasn’t in attendance, and their phones have been switched off,” said a police officer at Haridevpur Police Station.
As per reports, the complainant didn’t make it to the medical examination or to record her statement before the magistrate on Monday.
The several other key points that the police are investigating into, are eyewitnesses and locations, specified by the survivor, and corroborating with the complaint filed. Police are also looking into CCTV footage of the college premises, checking the entry and exit points to track her way in and out.
Police have also asked the university management for details on security protocols and visitor entry records. After the alleged incident, the woman tried to report it at Thakurpukur Police Station, but she was turned away as the case didn’t fall under the police station’s jurisdiction. The university campus is 5 km away from the Thakurpur police station.
After looking into the mobile history of both the accused and the survivor, the police found out that they had been in touch for a few months after they connected on social media. The complainant’s background is yet to be verified. As per the police, “no documents have been produced, supporting her qualifications as a psychologist.”
A sudden twist
The complainant’s father has made contradictory comments in the media. He denies that his daughter was sexually assaulted.
“I received a call at 9:34 pm on Friday, where I was informed that my daughter fell down from an auto, and ended up losing senses, and was then admitted to SSKM Hospital, and the police had rescued her and taken her to the hospital, ” he said.
He added that his daughter hasn’t mentioned being tortured by anyone. And that she has no connection with the arrested accused.
When asked whether his daughter has been reeling under trauma, the father said, “She’s completely fine.”
According to the police, the father’s mobile phone has been switched off since he made the public statement. The family’s silence has become yet another roadblock in the investigations, as it has led the case to open-ended questions.
While an FIR was registered soon after the alleged incident, the accused’s lawyer flagged concerns over the investigation. Meanwhile, Parmanand’s mother has claimed her son did nothing wrong.
“I don’t know anything, I know my son, and he cannot do anything like this, I came to Kolkata to meet my son, and I don’t know what happened, I don’t think he had any kind of psychological problems and I don’t know why had to call for a counsellor,” she told reporters in Kolkata.
Other students at IIM Calcutta also claimed they didn’t know about accused’s mental health concerns.
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Campus concerns
The IIM campus is abuzz with theories about the case. The accused’s classmate talked about the ‘twisted’ details of the case.
“We believed it was a date that could have possibly gone wrong…we weren’t aware of what had happened, until we saw news,” the students said, who claimed to be on campus when the complainant left the accused’s building. The police officials aren’t sold on this theory so far.
Meanwhile, social media users are outraged on X, Instagram, and Facebook over how the incident has unfolded. Many talked about how there’s an urgent need for gender sensitisation in universities.
“There are several loopholes in the incident reported; there are safety and security measures in place within the campus, and no personal psychologist can enter the campus premises,” said the student.
According to the student, the college administration has assured that there isn’t any security breach and safety isn’t a problem on the campus. The students have been encouraged to report any concerning matter to the Internal Complaints Committee.
West Bengal State Women’s Commission has taken suo motu of the case on Sunday. “We stand by the family and are ready to help them,” Commission chairperson Leena Gangopadhyay said.
Adding to the concerns, now, a fresh set of SOPs has been issued by the IIM Calcutta administration, stating that police officers, now, will have to seek approval from campus security guards before they make any entry into any of the rooms.
The students have also been directed to refrain from making any statements to the media, stating that “the investigation is underway and the institute is fully cooperating.” The university has sealed the room where the alleged crime took place for evidence protection.
“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,” said Saibal Chattopadhyay, Director-in-Charge, IIM Calcutta.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)