South Calcutta Law College expels 3 accused in gang-rape case

The authorities of South Calcutta Law College have expelled three accused in the alleged gang rape of a 24-year-old student from the institute, an official said on Tuesday.

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Prime accused Monojit Mishra, who was a contractual employee at the college, was among those expelled from the institute.

Mishra, along with co-accused Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukherjee, both students of the college, has been arrested and remanded to police custody till July 1.

Following a meeting of the college's governing body, chaired by Trinamool Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Deb, the college announced the termination of Mishra's services and the expulsion of the two students.

“It has been decided to terminate the services of Mishra, and the two other students will be expelled with immediate effect. The security agency, assigned with the security of the college premises, will also be showcaused,” Deb said.

The action by the college administration comes amid growing public outrage over the alleged incident, which took place within the college premises and has led to strong demands for accountability and reform in campus safety protocols.

According to the vice-principal of the college, Mishra was appointed on a contractual basis around 45 days ago.

College records indicate that Mishra was previously a student of the institute and was admitted in 2013. That year, he was rusticated from the institution after being charged with stabbing a youth on Chetla Bridge under the jurisdiction of Kalighat police station.

Mishra vanished from police radar at that time before resurfacing in 2017 when he took readmission to the college from where he passed out in 2022.

He was also involved with the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), and according to former students, he 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 the Kasba police station in connection with the incident, but for some unknown reason, the cases got dropped,” Titas Manna, a former student, told a local news channel.