Kolkata B-school rape case stalls as survivor, family decline to assist police - 'Zero help'

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A forensic team has gathered crucial evidence - including soft drink bottles, water bottles and two types of hair strands - from a sealed hostel room in a premier Kolkata management institute, where a 24-year-old psychologist accused a student of drugging and raping her during a counselling session. However, the investigation has hit a major obstacle as the woman and her family have refused to cooperate, leaving police struggling to proceed.

According to a TOI report, senior officers revealed that the survivor has not submitted to a medico-legal examination, nor has she handed over her clothes or phone, which are key pieces of evidence in such cases. "In an ideal situation, we would have spoken to the survivor at length, got her medico-legal test done and collected her clothes and phone, which are all crucial evidence in such a probe. However, we haven’t been able to do this as the survivor is not cooperating. We called her to the police station, but she has not come," a senior officer said, as quoted by TOI.

The woman had alleged that she was offered pizza and a drink last Friday after being invited to the male student’s hostel room. Yet, within 12 hours of her complaint, her father publicly denied any wrongdoing and accused the police of coercion. The family’s reluctance has deepened the mystery, with their two-storey home in a semi-urban village, located 12 km from the B-school, becoming a focal point of unanswered questions.

Despite the village’s mix of modernity - paved roads, gaming computers and women running sewing schools - conservative attitudes still dominate. When reportedly approached by TOI, the family declined to comment. Four youths on bikes intercepted attempts to speak to them, stating abruptly, "They have nothing to say. They are not at home." The woman’s father, an advocate, also refused to engage.

Meanwhile, a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has begun work, but officials describe receiving "zero help" from the complainant’s side. Police have collected logbooks from the institute’s main gate and hostel entrance, along with CCTV footage from multiple campus zones, to verify the timeline of events.

The silence extends beyond law enforcement. Both state and national women’s commissions have initiated suo motu probes but have been unable to contact the survivor or her family.