Kolkata: Mahaveer Toppannavar, also known as Parmanand Jain, has been sent to police custody until July 19 in connection with the high-profile IIM Kolkata alleged rape case. He was arrested after a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged by a woman at Haridevpur Police Station.
According to police, the woman, a clinical psychologist, stated that she had been called to the IIM Calcutta boys’ hostel by the accused for a counselling session, where she was allegedly drugged and raped.
“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,” said a police officer.
The incident reportedly occurred on Friday, inside the hostel premises of IIM Calcutta.
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate of Alipore Court granted police custody of the accused after hearing both sides. The prosecution had sought custody till July 25 to carry out further investigation and questioning.
The alleged rape case comes just two weeks after a similar incident at the South Calcutta Law College, where a student was reportedly gangraped on June 25. In that case, four people, including the main accused Manojit Mishra, have been arrested. A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) is now handling the investigation.
Meanwhile, the current case has stirred tension within the IIM Kolkata campus, with friends of the victim alleging that she had been under tremendous stress. They claim that neither the college administration nor the police acted promptly, which further worsened her mental condition.
Officials confirmed that SP Raj Prasad and a forensic team are examining the incident site as part of the ongoing investigation.