In a stunning case that has stunned South Kolkata, police have arrested three people on charges of gang-rape of a woman within the premises of a law college. The crime is said to have been committed on June 25, and the trio was arrested on Thursday after the woman lodged a formal complaint.
Police named Monojit Mishra, a former student of the college and a practicing criminal lawyer at the Alipore Court, as the main accused. Mishra’s social media profile indicates that he had served as the president of the youth wing of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) inside the college.
“Three persons have been arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by the woman. According to the victim, the incident took place on June 25. Investigation is going on,” a top police officer said.
Mishra, as per the survivor, overpowered her and dragged her to the guardroom of the college by force, where the assault lasted between 7:30 pm and 8:50 pm. The two other accused were said to have stood guard and helped him in the crime. Police have now sealed the guardroom and are gathering forensic evidence from the premises.
Phones Seized, Forensics Deployed
Police have, therefore, confiscated the cell phones of all three suspects to scrutinize any possible digital evidence. Additionally, a high-powered team of officials and forensic experts visited the scene to collect samples and reconstruct the timeline of events.
The three suspects will be presented before the court on Friday, authorities confirmed.
Political Reactions Spark Heated Debate
The accident has sparked political outrage in West Bengal. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari came down on the ruling TMC government with a scathing attack, saying, “Anything can happen in this state. Last year, a junior doctor was raped and murdered in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. There is no safety of women in the state. The chief minister would now say it is a small incident and offer money to the victim. She must resign.”
Against this, TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar replied, “It is sad that the opposition leader is going on an attack over a social evil. We must all battle the social evil together.”
Trinankur Bhattacharjee, the state president of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), chimed in, “Firstly I would demand the strictest punishment for those found guilty. The accused may have been associated with the TMC’s student wing in the past but he never held any important portfolio. That is not the responsibility of the TMCP.”
This incident comes just a year after Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for last year’s rape and murder of a medical trainee at RG Kar Medical College.
