Kolkata police have arrested a security guard in connection with the South Kolkata Law College rape case. This marks the fourth arrest in the case. Previously, the main accused and two others, including a leader of the Trinamool Congress, were already in custody. On June 25, a first-year student was gang-raped on the campus of the South Kolkata Law College. According to police sources, an initial investigation revealed that security guard Pinaki Banerjee was present during this crime but left the victim on instructions from the accused.
Despite the woman's pleas for help, the guard did not assist. Sources indicate that it was his responsibility to inform the college administration or police, but he failed to do so. His negligence was confirmed during interrogation, leading to his arrest. The primary accused, Monojit Mishra, is charged with assaulting the 24-year-old student for hours in a security guard’s room on June 25. Monojit served as the former president of the Trinamool Congress Student Council unit at the college and was allegedly the organizational secretary of the TMC's student wing in South Kolkata. Meanwhile, two other students watched the crime unfold without intervening.
Related: Another Arrest in Kolkata Gangrape Case, Police Apprehend Law College Guard
One of the fathers of the three accused students told news agency ANI, 'I am an Indian citizen first, then a father. The case is sub judice and the police are investigating. We trust the judicial system and if our son is found involved, he should face strict penalties. We have full trust in Kolkata Police.' The victim accused the security guard of being placed outside the room while the main gate was closed. She also alleged that despite him being present during the incident, he did not intervene. Main accused Monojit Mishra was arrested on June 25, while co-accused first-year student 19-year-old Zaid Ahmed and second-year student Pramith Mukherjee were detained on June 26.
According to the student's complaint, when she arrived at campus to fill out examination forms, she was attacked and forcibly taken to a guardroom where her clothes were stripped off, and she was raped. The attack happened after she rejected Monojit Mishra's marriage proposal. As per the victim, Monojit recorded the entire act on his mobile phone, later using the video to blackmail and threaten her. According to police, medical examinations confirmed the allegations, discovering evidence of rape and bodily injuries, including bite marks and nail scratches.
Related: Forced Relations, Bite Marks Found... Key Evidence in Kolkata Gangrape Victim's Medical Report
This incident incited political turmoil in West Bengal, with widespread outrage directed at the ruling Trinamool Congress, especially due to the alleged involvement of a leader from its student wing. This crime occurred just months after the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress condemned the gang rape, requesting that the issue not be politicized. West Bengal's Minister of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, Sashi Panja, addressing a press conference, announced that the state government stands firmly by the victim and her family.
The opposition BJP alleged that this incident highlights the lack of safety for students in educational institutions statewide. Central Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar claimed that despite the direct oversight of Home Affairs by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state’s law and order situation is deplorable. Sukanta Majumdar was detained on Saturday after participating in a massive protest rally organized by the Bharatiya Janata Party against the gang rape of the first-year student in the law college campus. The state BJP chief accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of protecting the accused, as they are affiliated with her party.
