IIM Calcutta to allow rape-accused to resume classes; but no hostel

Kolkata: IIM Calcutta informed that it will allow the rape accused second-year student Paramanand Mahaveer Toppannawar to resume classes in the institution, but he will not be allowed to stay in the hostel, an official said.

Paramanand, who is arrested but received bail, is accused of raping a woman in the Lake View Hostel on July 11. He received bail on Saturday, and formalities on the same day were completed on Monday.

The official told Metro that IIM Calcutta director-in-charge Saibal Chattopadhyay made the decision after consulting legal experts. The rape-accused student must find accommodation outside the campus, the official said. He is barred from staying in the institution's hostel due to safety concerns.

The official said that the Lake View Hostel is co-ed, and women students are concerned after the rape incident. Police had told the institution that they found liquor bottles and other items in Room 151 on the second floor of the hostel where Paramanand stayed. The official said that the authorities believe that the room was not used for its intended purpose.

The complainant in the case against Paramanand accused him of spiking her drink before raping her.

The official further informed that the institution has decided to give the accused compensatory attendance for the days he missed classes while in jail.

On this, an IIM professor said that a student’s grade could suffer if attendance is low.

It is learnt that Paramanand is supposed to contact the director-in-charge, Chattopadhyay, with a copy of the court’s bail order after he is released.