The Lake View Hostel at IIM Calcutta, where a second-year student allegedly raped a woman on Friday, was constructed in 2014 as part of the institute’s expansion to accommodate growing student enrolment.

Named for its view of a large water body on campus, the relatively luxurious five-storey hostel features two wings with CCTV cameras on each floor of one wing. However, the two floors housing female students in the other wing lack surveillance cameras, according to institute officials.

“Only the two floors of one wing where girl students are accommodated don’t have
any CCTV surveillance. Security personnel are posted at the entry of both wings,”
said an IIM official. “The alleged rape in a hostel that has tight security has left us surprised.”

The hostel was developed alongside the Tata Hall of Residence and Management Development Centre in 2014, when six new academic blocks were also constructed. Two floors of Lake View Hostel were designated for female students due to rising enrolment of women, with these floors guarded by female security personnel.

“The complaint of alleged rape in a co-ed hostel has triggered concerns about the safety and security of women on campus,” said a professor. The campus also houses another co-ed facility, Ramanujan Hostel.

Throughout the day, parents flooded director-in-charge Saibal Chattopadhyay with calls, seeking information about the incident and demanding assurance about their daughters’ safety.

“The incident of alleged gang-rape at South Calcutta Law College on June 25 had triggered a general sense of fear among many. But the fact that an almost identical offence has happened in a gated campus where outsiders cannot enter randomly has triggered concerns among parents over the safety of their daughters in one of the city’s premier institutes,” an IIM professor said.

The professor emphasised that the institute authorities must act to allay fears, as the incident has damaged the institution’s reputation.

An IIM official confirmed that Chattopadhyay will address students on campus on Monday, following an academic council meeting. The director-in-charge plans to convey that the incident was an aberration and reaffirm the institute’s commitment to student safety.

Chattopadhyay has already met with board of governors members, campus security officials, and student representatives following the alleged incident.

Many on campus noted that Chattopadhyay, who previously served a full term as director, is scheduled to retire in two months. The alleged rape incident threatens to overshadow his tenure’s conclusion and raise lasting concerns about campus safety and security.