IIM-Calcutta rape case: Accused remanded to police custody till July 19

Kolkata, July 12 (IANS) Premanand Mahaveer Toppannavar aka Parmanand Jain (26), the sole accused in the rape of an outsider student within the boys’ hostel of Indian Institute of Management- Calcutta (IIM-C) at Joka on the outskirts of South Kolkata on Friday night, was remanded to police custody till July 19 by a lower court here.

Although the public prosecutor sought police custody for the accused till July 25, the judge of the trial court remanded him till July 19.

The accused is a second-year student of IIM-C. He enrolled for the postgraduate degree in management (PGDM) in 2023 after clearing the Common Admission Test (CAT).

Meanwhile, breaking the day-long silence on the issue, especially over the allegations of severe security lapses within the institute campus, the IIM-C authorities finally issued a statement on the matter on Saturday. In the statement issued by the director-in-charge of IIM-C, Saibal Chattopadhyay, it was stated that the institute authorities were taking the matter seriously and were cooperating with the investigating officials.

However, it was clearly stated in the statement that the IIM-C authorities would refrain from making further comments on this issue during the investigation.

In the statement, the IIM-C authorities have cautiously avoided answering the queries raised on the security lapses within the institute campus, especially how the victim, being an outsider, could manage to enter the room of the boys’ hostel and that too without getting her name registered in the visitors’ book. Eyebrows are raised over how, after entering the campus, she was allowed to enter the boys’ hostel, where girls’ entry is prohibited beyond the visitor’s room.

Meanwhile, the Union government had sought a report from the IIM-C authorities in the matter, considering that IIM-C is a central institute, confirmed the Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar.

“All I can say is that law and order is a state subject, although the event took place within the campus of a central institute. I hope that the police would take action as per law,” Majumdar added.

--IANS

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