KOLKATA: Less than a year after the horrific rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R G Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests and a political turmoil, another similar case has emerged from the South Calcutta Law College in Kasba.
A student of the college was brutally assaulted by three men, two students of the same college and another an alumnus allegedly linked to the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), inside the college campus on Wednesday, June 25.
According to the complaint filed by the survivor, the incident occurred between 7:30 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. within the college premises.
Police sources revealed that the prime accused is Manojit Mishra (31), a former student of the institution. The other two accused are Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20). All three were produced before the Alipore court and remanded to police custody until July 1.
In her complaint, the victim alleged that the main accused, Manojit Mishra, took her to a room adjacent to the college union office, where he forced himself on her in the presence of two other students who stood and watched.
The victim alleged that Mishra had called her to the room to offer her the post of the General Secretary of the college's girls' department. Once in the room, Mishra said he was going to "test her loyalty" and proposed marriage to her.
The victim refused the proposal, also pointing out that she already had a boyfriend. When she tried to leave the room, Mishra stopped her and forced her into another room adjacent to a bathroom. The other accused closed the door of the room from outside while Manoj subjected the woman to brutal sexual assault.
The victim in her complaint alleged that the college security guard had come running, hearing her screams, but was assaulted and chased away by the co-accused students who were standing guard outside the room.
Describing the harrowing incident, the woman said she had a panic attack during the assault and begged the men to stop but they did not listen to her. She was also beaten in the head with a hockey stick by one of the students.
According to the complaint, the men had allegedly recorded the assault and threatened the victim that if she told anyone about it, the video will be made viral on Facebook.
Main accused and a TMC connection
31-year-old Manojit Mishra, the prime accused in the case, is a practising lawyer in the Alipore court and an alumnus of the South Calcutta Law College who had served as the president of the college's students' union.
However, what has ignited a political storm is Mishra's connection to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). According to sources, Mishra is associated with TMCP, the students’ wing of TMC. On his Facebook profile, Mishra has claimed himself as the organisational secretary of TMCP’s South Kolkata District. His social media profiles have multiple pictures of him participating in various programs of the TMC. There are also pictures of him with the leaders of the ruling party.
Denying Mishra's association with the party, Kolkata mayor and Minister Firhad Hakim said those who associate with TMC's ideology "can never do anything wrong."
"The accused were never associated with the TMC. There is no connection in any way. I cannot say if they are supporters. But they have no connection with the TMC. Those who associate with Trinamool's ideology can never do anything wrong," he said.
Although the TMCP has tried to distance itself from Mishra after the horrific incident, the students of South Calcutta Law College recognise him as a close associate of the ruling party.
Even though college union elections have not been conducted for a few years, Mishra holds considerable influence in the college as the president of the former TMCP union, according to students.
According to sources, Mishra was known to the students by the name 'Mango'. Reflecting Mishra's influence are the college walls, which have 'Manojit Dada is in our hearts!' written on them.
Mishra was appointed as a temporary employee a few days ago with the permission of the college's governing body president Ashok Kumar Deb, a senior TMC MLA.
“He is a temporary staff member of the college. He is an alumnus of this college. He also has a law degree. The governing body appointed him,” said Nayna Chatterjee, Vice Principal of the college.
Slamming the ruling TMC for repeated crimes in the states involving those associated with the party, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said, “The empire of crime was not established just like that. It has flourished and grown in the presence of various miscreants.”
