A 24-year-old first-year law student was allegedly gang-raped inside the premises of a South Kolkata law college by an alumnus and two current students on Wednesday. The accused reportedly confined the student, assaulted her physically and sexually, recorded the act, and later threatened to circulate the footage online.
The prime accused, Monojit Mishra, 31, a former student of the institution and a known functionary of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), has been arrested along with two students, Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20, both in their third semester.
Survivor’s testimony
The student had arrived on campus around noon to complete exam formalities. She waited briefly in the college union room where Mishra allegedly had the campus gate locked and later made unsolicited advances. Upon her resistance, she was physically attacked and threatened.
“I denied and fought back. I cried and asked him to let me go. I told them I have a boyfriend and I love my boyfriend. But he did not listen,” she said in her police complaint.
During the assault, Mishra allegedly struck her with a hockey stick, threatened to implicate her family in false cases, and dragged her to the security guard’s room where the attack reportedly continued.
“I touched his feet but he didn’t let me go…,” she told officers, adding that the other two accused stood by and watched.
Police action
Police confirmed that the incident occurred between afternoon and 10 pm. A senior officer said, “She was raped by the accused till around 10 pm. We have sealed the room, and our forensic experts will collect evidence.”
The mobile phones of the accused have been seized and sent for forensic testing to determine whether the recorded footage was shared with others.
BJP slams TMC
Mishra, who graduated in 2022 and was briefly employed on a 45-day non-teaching contract, retained significant influence on campus. He is also a criminal lawyer practising at the Alipore court.
Photographs shared on social media show Mishra with senior Trinamool leaders including Abhishek Banerjee, Chandrima Bhattacharya, and Kajari Banerjee. BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya lashed out, saying, “Outrageous! Manojit Mishra, one of the prime accused in the brutal gang-rape of a college student in Kasba has direct links with the most powerful in the TMC.”
Also read: TMC leader among 3 arrested in Kolkata law student gangrape case
Malviya compared the incident to last year’s RG Kar Medical College case, calling Bengal “a nightmare for women” under the current government. “Rape has turned into a routine tragedy,” he added.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumder also echoed the call for accountability, naming the main accused as a suspected TMC student leader, and supported Suvendu’s demand for the Chief Minister’s resignation
TMC’s response
The Trinamool Congress denied any ongoing association with Mishra and demanded strict punishment. “We stand firmly with the survivor and her family in their fight for justice. The Aparajita Bill, unanimously passed by our Assembly, mandates strict punishment, including the death penalty, for crimes against women,” the party posted on X.
Trinankur Bhattacharya, TMCP’s state president, distanced the party from the accused, saying the student unit at the college had been “defunct for years” and Mishra was never its president.
Protest and legal oversight
The National Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of the case and asked Kolkata Police to submit an action taken report within three days.
Meanwhile, Congress and AIDSO members held protests outside the Kasba Police Station, demanding justice. The protestors were eventually dispersed by the police.
Echoes of RG Kar case
The incident has drawn comparisons to the RG Kar Medical College case, where a postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered inside the hospital premises in August 2024. The accused in that case, a civic volunteer named Sanjoy Roy, was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
That incident, like the current one, had led to state-wide protests and scrutiny over safety in educational institutions. A year on, the recurrence of such a brutal crime has again raised questions over political interference and administrative apathy on campuses in Bengal.
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