‘No such incident happened’, says father of woman who was allegedly raped at IIM Calcutta

A second-year MBA student at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta has been arrested on the allegation of raping a woman inside the boys’ hostel of the institute. However, in a shocking turn of events, the woman’s father on Saturday (Jul 12) denied that she was sexually assaulted. Instead, he claimed that she had fallen out of an auto rickshaw. According to the accused’s lawyer, the woman was a counsellor and had connected with the student online. She had gone to the hostel on the campus of the business school to provide a counselling session. The accused will remain in police custody till July 19. His lawyer has alleged that he is being framed.

According to the police, the woman alleged that he had made her consume a drink laced with drugs, after which she lost consciousness and learned that she had been raped upon waking up, news agency PTI reported. However, her father has now alleged that his daughter was not raped and had an accident.

Speaking to reporters, the father said, “No such incident happened with my daughter. I received a call around 9:34 PM, but my daughter did not disclose her location at that time. Over the call, she said that she fell from a car and that she was unconscious.” He added, “I later on tracked her location, and it was found that she was at SSKM Hospital. The Haridevpur police rescued her after reaching the hospital.”

He further said that 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,” he said.

He further 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.”

IIM Calcutta issues statement

In a statement, the Director-in-Charge of IIM Calcutta, Saibal Chattopadhyay, said, “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 added, “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.”