Monojit Mishra, arrested for rape, was law college’s pointsperson for students
Monojit Mishra was arrested along with two students, Promit Mukherjee and Zaib Ahmed, and a security guard.
KOLKATA: Administrators at the South Calcutta Law College where a 24-year-old student was gangraped after college hours on June 25, issued a notice last year asking students to route any queries related to their dealings with the institution through Monojit Mishra, the main accused in the case, and also previously issued several notices asking students not to stay in the campus after college hours, documents reviewed by Hindustan Times show.
Mishra, a graduate of the college later hired as a temporary staffer, was arrested along with two students Promit Mukherjee and Zaib Ahmed, and a security guard, Pinaki Banerjee.
Police have said that Mishra has at least 11 criminal cases pending against him. At least four were related to molestation.
“But despite all these, he was not just recruited in July 2024 but the college authorities issued a notice on August 13, 2024 asking students to contact him with any queries related to students’ dealings of the college,” said a professor who asked not to be named.
HT has a copy of the notice which reads: “Students of all semesters are hereby informed that any query related to students’ dealings of the college kindly contact Monojit Mishra (office staff) and Pallab Adhiakary (office staff).”
People familiar with the matter said that Mishra was recruited on the recommendation of the governing body headed by Ashok Kumar Deb, president of the college’s governing body and Trinamool Congress legislator from Budge Budge. The governing body’s meeting was held on July 2, 2024.
“Questions were raised about his recruitment by some professors, given his antecedents. But the governing body went on to recruit him without any screening or proper verification,” added the professor cited above.
Deb did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment. Nor did Nayna Chatterji, vice principal of the college, who had issued the notices.
Other documents reviewed by HT revealed that on September 5, 2024, the college issued a notice in which it warned students to leave the college campus by 4 pm.
“Students of all semesters are hereby informed that the final bell will ring at sharp 3:45 pm and students should vacate the college premises by 4 pm. If any student stays or loiters in the college premises after 4 pm, strict action will be taken against them by the college authority,” the notice said.
The people cited above said similar notices, signed by the college’s vice principal, were issued multiple times HT has seen copies of similar notices issued on August 22, September 9 and November 14.
“After the gang rape, the college’s governing body decided not to allow students to stay in the campus after college hours. But such notices, banning students from staying in the campus after college hours were issued not once, but multiple times. But every time they remained only on paper. Students continued to stay in the campus till late in the evening and sometimes night. They remained mostly in the union room,” added the professor.
The rape survivor, a first-year student, said in her June 26 complaint that the crime took place between 7:30 pm and 10:50 pm. She was first sexually harassed in the union room, later near the washroom and then she was taken to the security guard’s room where she was gang raped.
The Kolkata Police have already seized the register of the governing body along with documents related to Mishra’s appointment.
