Kolkata B-school rape case: Accused claims they knew each other through dating app, met twice; says whatever happened was consensual

KOLKATA: The ongoing investigation into the alleged rape case at a premier Kolkata B-school has taken a fresh turn, with the accused MBA student claiming he is innocent and that whatever happened was “consensual.

”The accused stated that he met the complainant three months ago through a dating app and had met her in person only twice.“We believe the youth has been framed. Whatever the cops now have are only allegations made once by the woman. Majority of the facts mentioned in the complaint do not tally with the evidence the cops have collected so far, and the woman too hasn’t come forward since then with more information and clarity in this case.

Also, the woman’s father has said no sexual assault happened. Hence, we believe the youth is innocent and have complete faith in the judiciary,” said his counsel, Kanishk Ravindran.

He also claimed also she had visited his hostel after he informed the security office via email that a friend would be visiting.The case, which has sparked significant public interest, remains under active investigation, but several procedural delays have emerged.

The confidential testimony of the 26-year-old woman could not be recorded as the government lawyer informed the Alipore additional chief judicial magistrate that she was still in a state of trauma and shock following the alleged incident, which she said lasted for over eight hours. Defence challenges charges, cites father's statementMeanwhile, the accused's lawyer, Subrata Sardar, submitted a petition urging the court to consider media statements allegedly made by the woman’s father, in which he reportedly denied the rape allegation.

These statements, widely shared on social and news platforms, were argued to be relevant to the case record."The complainant's father has categorically denied the incident. The statements are now in the public domain and must be part of the official record," Sardar told the court.Accused undergoes medical testThe accused underwent a medico-legal test, and police said he had begun cooperating. However, the woman had not yet agreed to undergo the same procedure, authorities noted.Police are focusing their probe on reconstructing the exact timeline of events. According to the woman’s complaint, she entered the campus around 11:45 am on Friday and stayed until evening. However, data provided by the institute paints a different picture — suggesting she stayed only for 2 hours and 20 minutes between 12:30 pm and 3:10 pm. CCTV footage reportedly supports this version.Officers said they are trying to determine what the woman did after leaving the campus and are verifying her background and her claim of being a psychologist, which currently lacks documentary support.Additionally, investigators are awaiting the institute’s response to question at least three students whom the accused reportedly called during the time frame in question, as well as two security guards stationed at the entrance and hostel gates.