"Why Did She Go There?" Trinamool MLA's Shocker On Kolkata Law Student's Rape

Adding fuel to the raging fire his party is fighting after the rape of a law student in Kolkata, Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra appeared to apportion at least a part of the blame to the woman herself, saying the incident would never have happened if she hadn't gone to the scene of the crime in the first place.  

Facing backlash, and after his remarks were condemned by the Trinamool Congress, Mr Mitra issued a clarification and said his statement had been misunderstood. 

The 24-year-old law student was allegedly raped at the South Calcutta Law College in Kolkata's Kasba area on Wednesday by Monojit Mishra - a 31-year-old former student of the college, who is now a practising lawyer. Two students, identified as 19-year-old Zaib Ahmed and 20-year-old Pramit Mukhopadhyay, and a security guard are the other accused, and all four have been arrested. 

The Trinamool Congress has admitted that Mishra is linked to the party's student wing - while simultaneously distancing itself from him and stating that he should get the strictest possible punishment - and the BJP has shared photos of him with senior Trinamool leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee as well as state Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Speaking about the crime on Saturday, Mr Mitra said, "If the girl had not gone there, this incident would not have happened. If she had told someone where she was going, taken a couple of friends with her, it would not have happened. The people who committed the crime took advantage of the situation."

In her complaint, the 24-year-old student had said she was attending a meeting of the Trinamool Congress student wing on Wednesday evening. She said she was cornered by Mishra and the two students and then taken to the security guard's room, where she was raped. 

'What Can Be Done?'

Mr Mitra's comments were preceded by a shocker from Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, who appeared to downplay the seriousness of the crime and deflect accountability. 

"What can be done if a friend rapes his friend? Will the police be in schools? This was done by students to another student. Who will protect her (the survivor)? Who does all this criminality and molestation? Some men do it. So, who should women fight against? Women should fight against these perverted men," he said.  

"I am saying the same thing again and again. Whoever has done it must be arrested immediately. But if a friend rapes a friend, how can that be corruption? The condition of safety and security is the same everywhere.  As long as the mindset of men remains this way, these incidents will keep occurring," he added.

Attack, Defence

Pouncing on the statements, the BJP has said that they reflect the Trinamool Congress' mindset and that the party is carrying out a "character assassination" of the survivor. 

"This is nothing new. Since the main accused is a Trinamool leader, they will try to "character assassinate" the survivor. They will ask why she was there at odd hours, why she went alone, why she trusted her friends. They should answer why a Trinamool student leader was in the college at odd hours. Why was he allowed into the college? This is blatant abuse of power," said BJP Spokesperson Priyanka Tibrewal.

The Trinamool Congress distanced itself from the remarks made by both Mr Banerjee and Mr Mitra and said it has zero tolerance for crimes against women. 

"The remarks made by MP Kalyan Banerjee and MLA Madan Mitra concerning the heinous crime at South Calcutta Law College were made in their personal capacities. The party unequivocally disassociates itself from their statements and strongly condemns the same. These views do not reflect the position of the party in any manner whatsoever," the party said in a statement. 

"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," it added. 

Party MP Mahua Moitra said misogyny is rampant in Indian politics and the Trinamool is different because it condemns such statements. 

Misogyny in India cuts across party lines. What differentiates @AITCofficial is that we condemn these disgusting comments no matter who makes them. https://t.co/2AQ59fQK4w

— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) June 28, 2025

"Misogyny in India cuts across party lines. What differentiates @AITCofficial  is that we condemn these disgusting comments no matter who makes them," she wrote on X.

MLA's Clarification

Taking to X after the Trinamool Congress issued its statement, Mr Mitra said his remarks had been misunderstood and used by a "motivated group" to malign the party's image.

"While strongly demanding the strongest action which has already been taken by the Police in Kasba incident against the culprits I totally deny that I had no way tried to shield the culprits, I personally feel that my statement has been totally misled and misused by a motivated group whose basic intention were to malign the image of our party AITC (Trinamool Congress) by wrongly focusing my statement to serve their own purpose (sic)," the MLA wrote.

While strongly demanding the strongest action which has already been taken by the Police in Kasba incident against the culprits I totally deny that I had no way tried to shield the culprits, I personally feel that my statement has been totally misled and misused by a motivated…

— Madan Mitra| মদন মিত্র (@madanmitraoff) June 28, 2025

"However I just have gone through the statement of AITC and request my party high command not to misunderstand me while I am ready to face any enquiry to clarify my statement in person, I do believe that my party will consider twice before taking any further movement in this matter (sic)," he added.

MP's Escalation

Kalyan Banerjee, who was involved in a feud with Ms Moitra earlier this year, chose a different route. Hitting out at his own party, he asked if it was supporting leaders who are shielding criminals. He also defended his statement and said some in the party lacked "a certain level of moral and intellectual alignment" needed to understand it.

"I completely disagree with the post made by @AITCofficial on X. Are they indirectly supporting the leaders who are shielding these criminals? Mere academic statements won't bring any real change unless immediate action is taken against those leaders directly responsible. What's even more unfortunate is that some of the leaders who emerged after 2011 are themselves under question in such crimes," he wrote on X. 

I completely disagree with the post made by @AITCofficial on X. Are they indirectly supporting the leaders who are shielding these criminals? Mere academic statements won't bring any real change unless immediate action is taken against those leaders directly responsible. What's…

— Kalyan Banerjee (@KBanerjee_AITC) June 28, 2025

I also wish to clearly distance myself from those who are encouraging or protecting these criminals. To truly understand the intent behind my words and statements, a certain level of moral and intellectual alignment is required - which, unfortunately, seems to be missing," the MP added, tagging the Trinamool Congress handle.