KOLKATA: A 24-year-old psychologist has alleged that she was raped by a second-year MBA student on the campus of a reputed business school in Kolkata. The woman arrived at Thakurpukur Police Station around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, accompanied by a male friend, and wrote out her complaint in front of the duty officer, according to police sources. She was later escorted to Haridevpur Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the incident falls, where the complaint was officially registered.
The accused, Paramanand Toppannawar, was arrested on Saturday and remanded in police custody for seven days. However, the case has since taken a complicated turn, with the woman’s father alleging that the police pressured his daughter into filing the complaint. In response to the developments and conflicting claims, authorities have formed a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter thoroughly.
According to the woman’s complaint, she visited the campus around 11:45 a.m. on Friday for a private counselling session. She alleged that Toppannawar took her to his hostel room, spiked her drink, and sexually assaulted her.
However, an official from the institute told The Times of India that both the woman and the accused arrived together in a car and that the woman had signed the campus and hostel entry logs at 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. respectively. The records also show that she exited the hostel at 3:10 p.m. on her own.
The police have collected CCTV footage from multiple locations, including Thakurpukur Police Station and the institute, to establish a timeline. They also reviewed traffic surveillance on DH Road after the woman’s father claimed that his daughter had lost consciousness following a scooter-auto accident. However, no evidence of any such accident was found during the relevant timeframe, officials said.
“We have CCTV footage of her entering Thakurpukur PS at 7:30 p.m. with a male companion. She narrated the incident and then wrote the complaint inside the station. Once the complaint was drafted, she was taken to Haridevpur PS in a police vehicle,” said a senior officer.
Officers stated that while some physical marks were found on the woman’s body, there were no signs of injuries consistent with a road accident. A medical evaluation at SSKM Hospital was initially planned, and the woman allegedly disclosed the assault to the attending doctor, but she later declined to undergo a medico-legal examination and has not submitted her clothing or phone as evidence.
Police say they are facing inconsistencies in her statements. While the complaint mentioned she was not allowed to sign the visitor register, the logbooks confirm her entry and exit were recorded. She entered the campus at 12:30 p.m., signed into the hostel at 12:45 p.m., and exited at 3:10 p.m.
The SIT has summoned the woman and her parents to Haridevpur Police Station for further questioning, but as of late Sunday, they had not responded. The woman’s father’s phone has remained switched off throughout the day, officials added.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities attempt to reconcile conflicting accounts and establish the facts.
