IIM-Calcutta rape accused remanded to police custody till July 19

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 12 (ANI): The Alipore court on Saturday remanded Mahaveer Toppannavar, also known as Parmanand Jain, to police custody till July 19 in connection with the alleged rape of a woman at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kolkata campus.
Visuals from outside the courtroom showed the accused being escorted by police personnel.
Speaking to ANI, Kolkata Police Chief Prosecutor Sourin Ghosal informed reporters that the defence had moved a bail plea, claiming the act was consensual.
"We asked for police custody, and the accused asked for bail. They argued that it was consensual. We argued that no, the prima facie investigation shows that a crime was committed, and the medical evidence supports the victim. The court granted police custody till July 19," Ghosal told ANI.
Meanwhile, the mother of the accused student, Mahaveer Toppannavar alias Parmanand Jain, said the family was stunned by the development and had no knowledge of the reason behind his detention. She asserted that her son, a final-year student at the prestigious institute, was innocent and incapable of committing such an act.
Her comments came after Kolkata Police arrested Toppannavar on Friday night, following a complaint filed by a woman who alleged that she had been raped on the IIM Calcutta campus.
Speaking to ANI, Mother of Mahaveer Toppannavar alias Parmanand Jain said, "We recieved a call from his friend around 11 in the night. He told us that my son has been detained and he doesn't know the reason... We have no clue why our son has been arrested... We want to meet our son and talk to him."
"He was in the final year of his college... We do not know anything here in Kolkata. Where the Police Station is or the Court. My son is innocent. He has come so far to study. He will never do such a dirty thing," she told ANI.
Earlier in the day, a woman had accused a student of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta of raping her on the institute's campus, said Kolkata Police.
According to officials, the woman complained to the Haridevpur police station on Friday evening.
"Late last evening, a woman reported at Haridevpur Police Station that a student inside the IIM Calcutta campus raped her. Based on her complaint, a case has been registered, and the accused has been arrested," the police said. They added that an investigation is currently underway. (ANI)