How rape of student in Kolkata law college was ‘premeditated’ and planned

Kolkata Law College rape case prime accused Monojit Mishra had been planning the assault for quite some time and had reportedly targeted the survivor from her very first day at the college, police have revealed on Monday.

According to officers from the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which includes nine members looking into the case, the attack was not a random act of violence. Instead, they believe it was a well-planned and “premeditated” crime.

Investigators have also found that the other two co-accused, Pratim Mukherjee and Zaid Ahmed—both close associates of Mishra—had a history of harassing women on the campus.

More from Explainers

Harassed women, thrashed guard, threatened teachers: Kolkata rape accused’s decade-long crime history Kolkata law student rape case: How accused Monojit Mishra harassed other women on campus

For those unfamiliar with the case, a 24-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in the Kasba area of south Kolkata. The survivor claimed she was tortured for hours, beaten, and threatened by three men. A fourth person, the college’s security guard, has also been named as an accused.

As the investigation progresses, police are uncovering a chilling level of intent behind the crime. Here’s what we know

How the Kolkata rape accused ‘pre-planned’ their crime

Police sources say that Monojit Mishra and his two aides had been stalking the survivor since the very first day she stepped into South Calcutta Law College. The men, already known on campus for harassing women, had allegedly zeroed in on their target early on.

“The entire matter was premeditated. The trio had been plotting for several days to carry out this torture on the victim. We have found that the victim was targeted by the prime accused from the very first day she got admission to the college,” a police officer said.

Editor’s Picks

1

‘Hit with hockey stick, bite marks’: The horror faced by law student ‘gang-raped’ on campus in Kolkata 2

Anna University case: How convict, now awarded life term, sexually assaulted student on campus

In her complaint filed at the Kasba Police Station last week, the 24-year-old survivor said she was attacked after she rejected a marriage proposal from Mishra, explaining that she was already in a relationship.

She alleged that Mishra, along with the co-accused, cornered her and dragged her into the security guard’s room, right next to the students’ union office. According to her statement, the trio shut the college’s main gate and forced the guard to sit outside his own room.

Inside, she said Mishra raped her while the other two stood watch.

“I fought back… I cried and asked him to let me go… I even touched his feet but he didn’t let me go,” she told the police.

When she tried to escape, the men caught her and continued the assault. The survivor also claimed that the accused recorded videos of the crime and later used them to blackmail her into staying silent.

She said they eventually let her go that evening, but not before issuing multiple threats of further violence if she spoke out.

Hunt on for videos, more victims

Over the weekend, police searched the homes of Pratim Mukherjee and Zaid Ahmed in an attempt to recover video evidence connected to the June 25 assault—and possibly uncover links to other similar crimes. The duo were students of the college.

“We are looking for footage related to this and possibly other incidents,” a police officer told PTI.

According to reports, Monojit Mishra, the Organising Secretary of the South Kolkata district unit of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), already had multiple complaints against him. He was known on campus for harassing female students.

Debolina Das, a former student of the law college, told CNN-News18 that Mishra had a long history of bullying and misconduct. She said he was even rusticated from the college once, but later took readmission. The 31-year-old is currently working as temporary staff at the college, appointed by the governing body.

“He used to call girls to the union room, drink alcohol there, and even kidnap juniors. There were numerous complaints against him, and he was cautioned several times. At one point, he was only allowed to come to college to sit for exams. He always tried to act like a ‘dada’ (local goon), but we tried to stop him,” she said.

A college insider told The Times of India that Mishra would often manipulate photos of female students and circulate them among his friends.

“He filmed private moments with women and showed them to his friends. He had a tendency to record videos of almost everything. He and his aides used to click photographs of women and post them in groups, body shaming them and maligning them,” the insider revealed.

With the recent gang rape case, authorities now suspect that a video of the assault might have been circulated.

“We are trying to find out whether those clips were forwarded or shared with some other groups. In that case, we have to get in touch with those who have received that,” the officer added.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has drawn up a list of over 25 people—mostly students—who were present on campus the evening of the incident. These individuals are expected to be questioned in the coming days.

“All these people will be questioned in connection with the investigation. We have to find out what they witnessed that evening,” the officer said.

With input from agencies