Student of IIM Calcutta arrested for allegedly raping a woman on campus

The survivor said that she had been sexually assaulted by the accused while she was unconscious

The Kolkata Police on Saturday (July 12, 2025) arrested Premanand Mahaveer Toppanavar, a 26-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta, in connection with the alleged rape of a mental health counsellor in the hostel premises of the institute.

A case was lodged under Sections 64 (punishment for rape) and 123 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on the survivor’s complaint filed at the Haridevpur Police Station late on Friday evening.

Mr. Premanand is a second-year student of the institution, originally hailing from Karnataka, the Kolkata Police said. He was produced at a city court and has been remanded to police custody till July 19.

This development comes within three weeks of the alleged gang rape and assault on a 24-year-old student in the premises of the South Calcutta Law College, raising questions on the safety of women in educational institutions in the city.

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According to the Kolkata Police, the survivor alleged that she met the accused inside the Lake View hostel on campus, and had pizza and water. She reportedly started feeling dizzy after that, but she “wasn’t allowed” to go to the washroom.

She alleged that she lost consciousness shortly after and was subsequently raped.

During court proceedings on Saturday, defence attorney Subrata Sardar said that the time of the offence and the time at which the First Information Report (FIR) had been lodged were the same, around 8.30 p.m., raising questions on how the survivor reached the police station so fast.

He also questioned how the survivor entered the campus without registering her details as an external visitor, claiming that visitors must log their details during entry and exit. “I feel there is something fishy in the way the incident has been described,” Mr. Sardar said after the court proceedings.

Meanwhile, public prosecutor Sourin Ghosal said that the accused’s phone, recovered from the place of occurrence of the alleged assault, needed to be unlocked for the investigation. He added that the accused was influential and had allegedly bypassed campus security.

Saibal Chattopadhyay, Director-in-charge of IIM Calcutta, on Saturday said that the institute’s administration is treating the matter with “utmost seriousness” and cooperating with law enforcement officials conducting the probe.

“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,” Mr. Chattopadhyay said in a statement on Saturday.

The father of the survivor told reporters on Saturday that his daughter had no involvement with the accused.