Kolkata Law Student Rape: How a Known Predator Operated Freely

The main accused was hired as casual clerical staff by a TMC leader heading the college body despite having priors.

Not even a year has passed since protests against the RG Kar rape-murder case shook Kolkata when a new case inside a law college has left the city stunned and questioning the ruling party.

(Photo: PTI/Altered by Vibhushita Singh/The Quint)

(Trigger warning: Descriptions of sexual violence. Reader discretion advised.)

The dust had barely settled after the months of protests that followed the brutal rape and murder of a medical student at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College Hospital last year when another rape case—this time of a law student—has left the city shaken.

The 24-year-old student was allegedly raped inside the South Calcutta Law College campus in Kasba on the evening of 25 June, putting further strain on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has yet again been accused of shielding the key accused, Manojit Mishra.

Initial investigations paint a disturbing picture of systematic sexual harassment and predatory behaviour by 31-year-old Mishra whose history of misconduct had led to his expulsion from the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the student wing of the ruling party, in 2021. However, he "unofficially" continued to head the unit as well as hold "much power in the college", as the survivor alleged in the FIR.

An accused arrested in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a first-year student of a law college in south Kolkata, being produced at a city court, in Kolkata.

(Photo: PTI)

What Happened on 25 June

The day started like any other at the law college campus. With examinations approaching, the classes were off—and many students had come to college to collect their exam forms. Many others had also come to attend a meeting held on campus by the TMCP to discuss roles within the college unit.

The survivor (henceforth referred to as S) is an active member of the TMCP and had reached the campus in the afternoon. After collecting her exam form, S and others were gathered in the 'union room' for the meeting. The meeting was led by Mishra, alias 'Mango', who's an ad hoc staff in the college and also an alumnus. In S' words in the FIR, "everyone listened to him."

Mishra has been named in the FIR along with two other current students, 20-year-old Pramit Mukherjee and 19-year-old Zaib Ahmed.

On the day in question, Mishra conducted the meeting at the end of which S was appointed on a secretarial post. After the meeting ended, one of the accused students allegedly called her outside the union room and asked her privately about her loyalty towards Mishra.

Soon after she assured him of her allegiance, Mishra himself called her outside again. But instead of speaking about the party or politics, Mishra proposed her for marriage.

S denied the proposal. According to the survivor, "after a mutual conversation, we went back to the union room." But as other students started leaving for home, S was asked to stay back upon Mishra's request. As soon as there was no one left except for S and the three accused, the two associates locked S inside the union room with Mishra, as per the latter's instruction.

Mishra tried to force the survivor to have sex, while S cried and begged him to let her go. She had a panic attack and asked for an inhaler, which was provided. But they had locked the main door so she could not escape. There was a guard on campus but in her statement, S described the guard as "helpless" and said he "did not help."

The accused made the guard sit outside, and forcefully took her to the guard's room where Mishra allegedly raped her with Mukherjee and Ahmed watching.

They allegedly took some videos and threatened to circulate those videos if she didn't cooperate. "He threatened me that he will kill my boyfriend and he will arrest my parents," she said.

S was also injured on the head, she claims, when Mishra tried to "hit me with a hockey stick." Her medical examination has confirmed signs of physical assault, including bite marks and deep scratches, consistent with forced sexual activity.

She was allowed to leave the guard's room at 10:50 pm and warned not to reveal this to anyone. S then collected her phone from the union room, left the campus, and called her father to ask him to pick her up. Even though she was initially afraid to go to the police station, she made up her mind soon and recorded her statement the following day. "I want justice. Being a law student, I am the victim now. I want justice to be served as soon as possible," she concluded.

Following an FIR, Mishra and Ahmed were arrested on Thursday evening near Talbagan. Based on the interrogation of these two, the police picked up Mukherjee from his home the following day. All three have been remanded to police custody and will be presented in court on 1 July.  

Accused a Known Offender

After enrolling and dropping out in 2007, Mishra registered for the BA LLB course at the South Calcutta Law College in 2017 and graduated in 2022. In 2023, he joined the same college as a contractual non-teaching staff. 

Multiple former classmates have come forward, revealing a pattern of obscene behaviour, including unsolicited advances, voyeurism, and the non-consensual circulation of digitally manipulated images of female students.

Female students would often receive casual and grossly inappropriate 'marriage proposals' from him.

“He would secretly record intimate moments with girls and show them to his friends, often making demeaning remarks about their bodies."

A former peer of Mishra

Junior lawyers and law students stage a protest against the alleged rape of a student at a law college, in Kolkata, on 30 June.

(Photo: PTI)

Others described him as “mentally unstable” and claimed he displayed “psychopathic tendencies.” 

Mishra lived alone in the Kalighat area. His father, who is a priest at the Kalighat temple, said Manojit had moved out of the family home some time ago.

While his father is finding it hard to believe that his son can commit rape, he also expressed his confidence in Kolkata Police and judiciary, saying, "If proven guilty, Manojit will be punished according to law." He also said that he does not have the financial capacity to continue the legal battle for his son.

The survivor's family, too, has expressed their confidence in the state police. The latter have seized CCTV footage from the campus. On Saturday morning, the police took the survivor to the spot for a reconstruction of the incident. The security guard was also arrested on Saturday morning because of his inconsistent answers during interrogation. A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT),  headed by Assistant Commissioner of Kolkata Police (South Suburbs) Pradeep Kumar Ghoshal, has been formed to probe the incident further.

Mishra was the TMCP unit president during when he was a student at the South Calcutta Law College. He was suspended twice for evidently undisciplined behaviour on campus, including ransacking CCTVs and damaging college properties.

And yet, TMC MLA Ashok Deb, who is the president of the college's governing body, appointed Mishra as a casual clerical staff after the latter finished his studies. He operated with the help of a gang of students, bossing around and largely dictating student matters. 

TMC Remains in Hot Water

The case comes not even a year since the streets of Kolkata saw widespread protests, night after night, against the horrific rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at the renowned RG Kar Hospital.

The TMC, which has been facing Opposition heat and public scrutiny for some time, is yet again in the box following the rape, especially after it was left red-faced by the controversial comments made by TMC leaders. Following news of the rape and involvment of alleged TMC links of the accused, MP Kalyan Banerjee initially dismissed the need to hold authorities like the police, party, or government accountable by stating, "If a classmate rapes a classmate, who will provide security?".

TMC MLA Madan Mitra went a step forward and indulged in victim-blaming. "If the girl had not gone there, this incident would not have happened. If she had told someone while going, or had taken a few friends with her, then perhaps this incident could have been prevented," Mitra said. 

Beyond the sheer insensitivity, both statements were not grounded in fact. The case is neither of a classmate raping another classmate nor was the survivor meeting the accused privately.

The TMC immediately distanced itself from the comments, labelling them as personal. The party further clarified that it "unequivocally disassociates itself from their statements and strongly condemns the same".

These views, the statement clarified, "do not reflect the position of the party in any manner whatsoever. Our stance remains resolute: we have zero tolerance for crimes against women and demand the strictest possible punishment for all those involved in this heinous crime."

Additionally, a show cause letter, undersigned by the party's state president Subrata Bakshi, has been sent to Madan Mitra, which instructs, "Your unwanted, unnecessary and insensitive comments in this regard have hurt the image of our party in every way. At the same time, your comments are against the party's strict stand. You are ordered to show cause within the next three days for this behavior of violating party discipline."

Speaking with The Quint, MP Kalyan Banerjee also backtracked, offering a more critical response this time, perhaps in a bid to balance his earlier dismissal.

"Shame! I have been in the party for so long and now I see these things. Why should such a perverted person be in our party? They should be identified and thrown out. If such a person is thrown out, people will be happy with it, not unhappy."

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajya Sabha MP Vikas Ranjan Bhattacharya said to The Quint, "The ruling party—those currently in power—are directly or indirectly involved in these incidents of rape. The TMC is, in fact, making every effort to implement the RSS-BJP's Manusmriti-inspired ideology in West Bengal. It is a misogynist party. Wherever atrocities against women are taking place in the state, in most cases, the names of Trinamool workers are coming up".

"The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that violence against women is happening everywhere, even on the streets."

CPI (M) MP Vikas Ranjan Bhattacharya

"Even today, I saw a woman being harassed in front of the Barasat railway station. In that case, however, the public intervened and beat up the perpetrators."

The incident he was referring to took place near the Barasat Railgate number 12 around Sunday noon. An adolescent girl was returning from her tuition when a man stopped her and allegedly tried to touch her inappropriately.

The BJP accused the Kolkata Police and also the TMC of trying to create confusion by using code names for the accused persons in the FIR lodged on Thursday. The police have since explained that this was a standard custom followed in case of sensitive FIRs such as mass rape or crimes under the POCSO rule.

BJP President JP Nadda has reportedly formed a four-member committee to visit the spot and investigate the incident. The party has demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and accused the TMC for repeated incidents of violence against women in the state.

Despite the condemnation from the TMC leadership, it remains undeniable that Mishra was a known miscreant. The TMC is, therefore, facing multiple questions, not just from the Opposition but from the general public.

Why did the local councillor and MLA tolerate a hooligan in the college, let alone allow him to be the face of the TMCP unit?

The other bigger question is about the power of these "casual recruits" at various public institutions. This is where the linkage between the law college incident and RG Kar hospital last year becomes especially chilling. The accused in that case too was a "casual recruit."

(Arka Bhaduri is an independent journalist from West Bengal.)