The rape complainant in the IIM-Calcutta case is untraceable and has skipped two court appearances. Police continue investigation despite discrepancies and lack of medical consent.
Kolkata: Today, on July 18, the woman who filed a rape complaint against a student of IIM Calcutta has gone missing and is not in touch with the authorities, according to Chief Public Prosecutor Shourin Ghoshal.
Speaking to the media, Mr Ghoshal said that the woman has not responded to repeated efforts to contact her and has missed two scheduled appearances before the magistrate to officially record her statement.
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“The complainant is incommunicado,”
Mr Ghoshal told to media on Friday. He further stated,
“The mobile phone of the woman, who was allegedly raped by a student at the institute’s boys hostel, is switched off and there is no alternative way to reach out to her.”
This situation has created uncertainty around the investigation, as her statement is a key part of the legal process.
The alleged incident came to light last week when the woman, who works as a psychological counsellor, accused a student of raping her inside the boys’ hostel at IIM Calcutta.
Even though the accused has already been arrested and remains in police custody, doubts have been raised about the events after the woman’s father claimed that no such crime had occurred. According to him, his daughter was injured in an accident and not assaulted.
Despite the confusion, Mr Ghoshal has confirmed that the investigation will go on.
He said,
“The statement of the survivor is crucial in the investigation. We have one statement but she has skipped two days and hasn’t appeared before the magistrate. However, it will not impact the case as we will continue to base our charges on forensic findings,”
The police shared details about the woman’s initial statement, in which she claimed she had gone to the boys’ hostel on July 11 for a counselling session.
According to a senior police officer,
“She then became unconscious after consuming a drink laced with drugs at the hostel. The woman realised she had been raped after regaining consciousness.”
He added that the woman also alleged that she was threatened by the accused not to tell anyone.
The officer said,
“She also alleged that the accused had threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed the matter to anyone,”
However, her father has presented a completely different version.
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The father said,
“I received a call from my daughter around 9.40 pm on Friday. She told me she had fallen from a vehicle, lost consciousness and suffered injuries. Later, I came to know she was admitted to SSKM Hospital. Nothing of the sort that the police are claiming happened, based on the details I received from my daughter,”
To verify the woman’s claims and timeline, police have asked IIM Calcutta authorities to provide CCTV footage from July 11. A third officer revealed that
“The police found discrepancies in her claim and wanted to ascertain which places of the institution the alleged victim had visited during her stay there on that day.”
Another hurdle in the investigation is the absence of the woman’s consent for a medical examination. This medico-legal test is considered a key part of evidence collection in rape cases.
The officer confirmed that the alleged rape survivor is yet to give her consent to the medico-legal test in connection with their probe into the matter.
Meanwhile, the lawyers representing the accused have maintained his innocence. One of them said that his client is a “victim of circumstance”, while another lawyer told the court that “there was consent” between the woman and the accused.
West Bengal Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja also spoke on the issue, saying the government is committed to justice.
She said,
“We do not support crimes against women. The Kolkata Police is investigating the case. The state government has taken measures to sensitise the public,”
This case has come into the spotlight shortly after two other serious incidents of sexual assault in Kolkata – a gang rape at a law college and another involving a trainee at RG Kar Medical College. Both cases led to widespread public outrage and protests across the country.
The IIM Calcutta case remains under active investigation, but with the complainant untraceable and inconsistencies in her statements, the legal process is facing complications. The police are relying heavily on forensic evidence and CCTV footage to move forward.
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