Kolkata Law Student Allegedly Gang-Raped on Campus; Three Arrested, Prime Accused Linked to TMC Youth Wing

Three men, including a former student and a practicing lawyer, were arrested on Thursday for allegedly gang-raping a woman inside a law college campus in South Kolkata, police said.

The alleged incident took place on the evening of June 25, according to a complaint filed by the victim. “Three persons have been arrested based on the woman’s complaint. An investigation is underway,” said a senior police officer.

Among the accused is Monojit Mishra, a former student whose social media profiles describe him as a past president of the All India Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) student wing at the college. He currently practices criminal law at Alipore court in Kolkata.

Mishra has been identified as the prime accused and is alleged to have raped the woman, while the other two men reportedly stood guard and aided in the crime. Police have sealed the guard room on campus where the assault allegedly occurred between 7:30 pm and 8:50 pm on June 25.

The victim told police that Mishra overpowered her and took her to the guard room, where the assault took place. All three accused have had their mobile phones seized as part of the investigation. Forensic teams and senior officers visited the college to collect evidence from the scene.

The accused are scheduled to be produced in court on Friday.

The incident has triggered political outrage in the state. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari criticized the ruling TMC government, citing a similar case from last year: “Anything can happen in this state. Last year, a junior doctor was raped and murdered in RG Kar Medical College. Women are not safe here. The chief minister will likely dismiss this as a small incident and offer compensation. She must resign.”

In response, TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar said, “It is unfortunate that the leader of the opposition is politicizing a social menace. We must stand united against such crimes.”

Trinankur Bhattacharjee, state president of the TMC’s student wing TMCP, added, “I demand the strictest punishment for those found guilty. Though the accused may have had past associations with TMCP, he held no significant position. This crime is not the responsibility of our organization.”

This case follows the brutal rape and murder of a medical trainee last year at RG Kar Medical College. In that case, Sanjay Roy, a 33-year-old civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.