College guard held for aiding accused in WB gangrape; BJP wants Didi to quit

The West Bengal Police on Saturday arrested the security guard of a government-run law college in south Kolkata’s Kasba area for his alleged inaction during the brutal gangrape of a 24-year-old student inside the campus earlier this week.

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The guard, Pinaki Banerjee, was reportedly present at the time of the incident but did nothing to stop it. CCTV footage accessed by the police showed Pinaki loitering outside as the assault unfolded inside the guard room. Ironically, the place meant to ensure campus safety. He neither alerted the college administration nor attempted to assist the victim, who had pleaded for help, it is alleged.

This is the fourth arrest in the case after Monojit Mishra (31), a college staffer and prime accused, and two others--Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukherjee (20)--were taken into custody.

The alleged crime took place between 7.30 pm and 10.50 pm on June 25 when the woman, a student of the college, had come to fill exam forms. Lured into the campus union room under the pretext of a discussion, she was allegedly assaulted after rejecting Monojit’s proposal for a romantic relationship.

According to the FIR and the victim’s complaint, Monojit’s aides locked the college gates and forcibly took her to the guard’s room where Monojit allegedly raped her after asking the security guard to vacate the area.

The incident has sparked a major political storm, with the BJP accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of shielding the accused.

At a press conference in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra described the crime as “state-sponsored brutality”, alleging that Monojit was a key office-bearer of the TMC’s student wing and closely associated with top party leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee and minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.

Quoting the survivor’s letter, Patra said, “The letter describes how the accused undressed her, raped her, beat her with a hockey stick, denied her medical assistance and threatened to kill her boyfriend and have her parents arrested… It’s a script straight out of a horror film.”

BJP president JP Nadda has constituted a four-member fact-finding committee, comprising former Union ministers Satya Pal Singh and Meenakshi Lekhi, along with MPs Biplab Kumar Deb and Manan Kumar Mishra. The team will soon visit the college and submit a detailed report.

Calling out Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Patra said, “Despite being a woman, the CM has repeatedly failed to protect women in her state. From Park Street to Hanskhali, Sandeshkhali to RG Kar, and now Kasba, the TMC’s response has ranged from denial to trivialisation.”

He also slammed TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee’s controversial remark--“If a classmate rapes a classmate, what can we do?”--as emblematic of the state’s lack of accountability.

Photos have surfaced purportedly showing Monojit with several top TMC leaders, further fuelling the BJP’s charge that the accused enjoyed political protection. The party alleged that seven individuals affiliated with the TMC-backed college union were reportedly present at the time of the crime, though only four had been arrested.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra said all accused were arrested within 12 hours. “The Trinamool and Bengal government have zero tolerance for crime against women--swiftest action taken in rape and POCSO cases. Unlike the BJP, which glorifies, garlands and rewards rapists and killers," she posted on X.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has written to the West Bengal Chief Secretary directing urgent action in the case and the state police's cooperation for a meeting between a member of the rights panel and the survivor and her family.