- A 55-year-old security guard was arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a law student in Kolkata
- Three men, including a former student and two current students, were previously arrested for the assault
- The prime accused, Monojit Mishra, is linked to the Trinamool Congress student wing
A 55-year-old security guard of the South Calcutta Law College in Kolkata's Kasba area has been arrested on Saturday in connection with the alleged rape of a first-year law student, making it the fourth arrest in the case so far. The development comes two days after the 24-year-old law student accused three people of sexually assaulting her in the college's security guard's room.
According to the survivor, two men watched as a third raped the woman, shortly after having bullied the guard, Pinaki Banerjee, into leaving.
The horrific incident took place on June 15, and came to light on Friday, sparking widespread outrage.
The Kolkata police have arrested the three accused - Manojit Mishra, a 31-year-old former student of the college, who is now a practising lawyer - and two students, identified as 19-year-old Zaib Ahmed and 20-year-old Pramit Mukhopadhyay. The prime accused, Monojit Mishra, is a member of the Trinamool Congress' student wing.
What the victim said
According to the details of the complaint accessed by NDTV, the survivor said the three accused - whom she identified with initials 'J', 'M', and 'P' - cornered her around 7:30 pm on June 15 after a meeting of the ruling Trinamool Congress' student wing. 'M' and 'P' locked her in a room with 'J', who tried to rape her.
"I fought back...I cried and asked him to let me go. I even touched his feet, but he didn't let me go. He tried to force me with the intention of having sex. I kept pushing him back. I asked him to let me go. I said I can't do this, I have a boyfriend and I love him," she said.
Soon after, the victim had a panic attack during the assault and begged for an inhaler - following which 'M' and 'P' brought it to her. She then tried to escape by running outside, but the three men caught her, took her to the security guardroom, threw the guard out, and assaulted her. Her statement also claimed that she was hit on the head with a hockey stick during the sexual assault.
In the complaint, the victim mentioned that throughout the alleged rape, the men told her to not tell anyone about the abuse with the threat of death of her family and boyfriend.
Over three hours later, the accused let the victim go with a warning not to inform authorities. "But today I made up my mind... I want justice. Being a law student, I am the victim now, and I want justice to be served as soon as possible," she said in the complaint.
Also Read | "What Can Be Done If Friend Rapes Friend": Trinamool MP On Kolkata Horror
Political row
The case, which brought back memories of last year's horrifying RG Kar Medical College rape case, has triggered a political storm with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slamming the Mamata Banerjee-led party. Many BJP leaders have shared photos of the prime accused, Monojit Mishra, with senior Trinamool figures, including MP Abhishek Banerjee and state Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has called for state-wide protests and challenged the government to break its silence on party links.
The TMC, on the other hand, has tried to contain the fallout.
The head of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (student wing), Trinakur Bhattacharya, said they will stand with the survivor and the accused should get the strictest possible punishment.
"I have been hearing a lot of questions, and I wonder why fingers are being pointed at the Trinamool student wing. Their intention is not to get justice for the survivor but to find a way to point fingers at Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee and defame the party. We have never said he (Manojit Mishra) was not linked to the Trinamool Congress student wing, but he was a junior member. The Trinamool Congress student wing does not have an active unit in the college," he said.
Disowning Mishra, the TMC leader added, "He held a position in 2019. How were we expected to know what he would do in 2025? He was not part of any committees in 2022 or 2023. He is not part of any committees now...But which party he belongs to is not important. He is a rapist, he should face justice."
