Gangrape fallout: South Calcutta Law College expels accused, vows clean-up

The South Calcutta Law College on Tuesday terminated the services of the prime accused and expelled two other students arrested in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 24-year-old first-year student on campus, officials said.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the college’s governing body chaired by TMC (Trinamool Congress) MLA Ashok Kumar Deb, amidst growing public outrage over the 25 June incident.

The prime accused, Monojit Mishra, who was working as a temporary staff member since 2024 on a contract extended periodically, has been sacked with immediate effect. His contract was based on a prior recommendation of the governing body.

Co-accused Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukherjee, both current students of the college, have been expelled.

“It has been decided to terminate the services of Mishra, while the two other students were expelled with immediate effect. The college will maintain no connection with the accused. The security agency, assigned with the security of the college premises, will also be show-caused,” Deb told reporters after the meeting.

Pinaki Bandyopadhyay, the security guard on duty at the time of the crime, is the fourth person arrested in the case.

The college has also resolved to take steps to bar the expelled students from enrolling in any other institution, sources said. Mishra, Ahmed, Mukherjee and the security guard are in police custody.

The governing body has also decided to recover all payments made to Mishra during his tenure. “There were complaints against him, and they were forwarded to the police. But no action was taken. As for how he got the job, I can't say. Since his appointment, there were internal reports that he had created a threatening atmosphere inside the college,” Haripada Banik, a teaching representative on the governing body, told PTI.

Our rapists vs. your rapists: BJP and Trinamool slugfest in West Bengal

The governing body also announced financial assistance for the survivor’s medical treatment, should her family choose to accept it.

The institution’s vice-principal Nayna Chatterji confirmed that Mishra had been appointed on a renewable 45-day contractual basis. “We have not only expelled the accused, but want the highest punishment for the perpetrators,” she said.

Mishra was initially admitted to the college in 2013 but was rusticated the same year for allegedly stabbing a youth near Chetla Bridge under the jurisdiction of Kalighat police station.

He resurfaced in 2017, gained re-admission and graduated in 2022. Mishra, who describes himself on social media as a practising criminal lawyer, is also known to have had links with the TMC Chhatra Parishad, the party's students' wing, and reportedly held considerable influence within the college.

“In December 2016, he was accused of leading a mob of outsiders to vandalise the college premises. FIRs and counter-FIRs were lodged at Kasba police station in connection with the incident, but for some unknown reason, the cases were dropped,” Titas Manna, a former student, told a local news channel.

PTI has in its possession copies of at least seven FIRs and formal complaints registered against Mishra across multiple police stations in south Kolkata, including several for alleged sexual assaults.

The college’s governing body has now decided to apply for the cancellation of Mishra’s Bar Council membership. “We will leave no stone unturned to bring back a healthy academic atmosphere in the college as early as possible,” Deb said.

He said the college campus would remain closed until further notice but exam schedules would not be disrupted. “The administrative office will remain open and students can come to fill their exam forms,” Deb said.

Kolkata gangrape: TMC leaders make controversial statements; party distances itself from them

Authorities have imposed a blanket ban on the entry of outsiders to the campus and decided that no student will be allowed to remain on college premises after scheduled hours.

A proposal to reconstitute the Internal Complaints Committee, which was reportedly inactive, has also been passed.

Security measures are being overhauled. Tenders for the installation of additional CCTV cameras were reviewed and finalised during the governing body meeting. Although the college already had some surveillance equipment, its effectiveness has been questioned.

“The agency responsible for the CCTV system has been show-caused, and Kolkata Police has installed additional cameras outside the college,” Banik said. Women security personnel will be deployed along with male guards. The existing security agency has been issued a show-cause notice, and a new one will be engaged.

Once the college reopens, new operating hours — from 7.00 am to 2.00 pm — will be enforced. Entry will be allowed strictly upon production of valid college ID cards, officials said.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the incident, the students’ union of Yogesh Chandra Choudhury Law College — the alma mater of chief minister Mamata Banerjee — has issued a directive prohibiting alumni from entering the campus or being invited to college events for five years after graduation.

However, exceptions will be made for events such as Saraswati Puja or sports programmes, or for those who have achieved distinctions, according to the union’s circular.