Why Kolkata rape survivor was given inhaler by the accused

The 24-year-old law student who was gangraped at South Calcutta Law College said she suffered a panic attack during the assault.

She said in her complaint that the main accused, Monojit Mishra, told the others to get her an inhaler, not to help her but so she could be made to suffer more once she recovered.

Notably, the three accused in the case, Mishra, Pramit Mukhopadhyay and Zaib Ahmed, are in police custody till July 8.

On Saturday, police arrested Pinaki Banerjee, the college guard who was on duty when the incident took place. A court on Tuesday sent him to police custody till July 4.

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So, what did the student say about the panic attack in her complaint?

Let’s take a look:

What happened?

The survivor said she had a panic attack just before the assault and was visibly struggling to breathe.

Seeing her condition, Monojit Mishra, the main accused, allegedly told one of the others to bring her an inhaler so she could calm down.

Once the inhaler was given and her breathing settled, the accused took her to a guard room on the campus, where the assault took place.

Public prosecutor Sourin Ghosal told the court, “When the victim had a panic attack and was unable to breathe, the accused persons, instead of taking her to a hospital, gave her an inhaler so that she feels better and they could torture her again.”

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The survivor said she tried hard to resist. At that point, the accused allegedly told her they had secretly filmed an earlier attempt to assault her.

They used the video to scare her, saying they would leak it online if she did not give in, according to a report by News18.

“When I fought back, he blackmailed me, threatened me which he was doing from before. He threatens me that he will kill my boyfriend and he will arrest my parents (sic),” she said in the complaint.

Her statement is backed by CCTV footage, which shows the accused dragging her to the spot where the incident took place.

Local media have also traced the pharmacy where Zaib is said to have bought the inhaler. Staff at the shop confirmed he came to buy it at the time mentioned in the complaint.

Who is Monojit Mishra?

Mishra graduated from South Calcutta Law College in 2022.

Even after completing his degree, he is said to have remained active on the college campus and continued to exert influence.

He later began practising law at Alipore Law College.

While he was a student, Mishra was known for aggressive behaviour and was reportedly involved in multiple assault cases.

He held the position of Organising Secretary in the South Kolkata district unit of Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP).

After the incident, the college has terminated Mishra’s services and expelled the two other co-accused.

The college has also said it will move to cancel Mishra’s bar council membership. He is currently practising criminal law at the Alipore Police and Sessions Court.

“We will leave no stone unturned to bring back a healthy academic atmosphere in the college as early as possible,” TMC MLA Ashok Kumar Deb said.

Amid public outrage, the ruling party in West Bengal has said that Mishra’s links to its student wing would not stop him from facing the strictest possible punishment.

Kasba rape case: What happened?

Three people, including Mishra, were arrested for gangraping a law student inside the South Calcutta Law College campus in Kasba.

The assault took place on June 25 between 7:30 pm and 8:50 pm. The complaint was filed on Thursday night, after which Kasba police made the arrests.

Police said the 24-year-old woman had come to the college around noon on Wednesday to complete some exam-related work.

In her complaint, she said that she initially waited inside the college union room. Later, the main accused allegedly instructed that the campus gate be locked. The woman was then raped inside the security guard’s room on the premises.

With inputs from agencies