SUMMARY
- CCTV footage confirms a law student was dragged into college premises by the accused before the alleged gang rape.
- Accused include a Trinamool youth leader; top TMC MPs condemn misogynistic remarks by party colleagues.
- A five-member SIT is probing the case amid growing public protests and BJP intervention.
Beyond the Guardroom: What the Kolkata Law College Rape Case Reveals About Power and Silence
In the heart of South Kolkata, what began as a student’s regular academic association has spiralled into one of West Bengal’s most chilling sexual assault cases of 2025. A 24-year-old woman, allegedly gang-raped by senior students and an alumnus in the guardroom of South Calcutta Law College, now stands at the center of a political and cultural firestorm. The accused—Manojit Mishra, linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress’s youth wing, and two associates—reportedly lured the victim under false pretenses and captured the assault on video.
As CCTV footage corroborating her claims emerged, so too did layers of negligence, political evasion, and public anger. Statements from Trinamool MPs like Kalyan Banerjee and Madan Mitra, which bordered on victim-blaming, stoked a wave of protests across the state. Meanwhile, party leaders like Mahua Moitra have attempted damage control by publicly condemning the regressive comments. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the matter, but the larger concern remains: what does justice look like when social institutions, from politics to campus security, fail the most vulnerable?
Rape victim of South Calcutta Law college writes –
— Dr. Anjay Bose 🏳 (@AnjayBose) June 27, 2025
"I was fighting for life. He also tried to hit me with a hockey stick. I just let myself like a dead body. He finished his penetration, forceful Intercourse & left me…"
Before voting TMC, remember this.
Source: "Arambagh TV" pic.twitter.com/nvBrgcH2FV
The Crime: Surveillance, Submission, and Silencing
- The assault took place in the college guardroom on June 25, as confirmed by CCTV footage reviewed by police.
- The survivor was allegedly lured and then forcibly dragged by two accused acting under the instruction of the main perpetrator.
- One accused reportedly raped her, while others filmed the act to blackmail her later.
The physicality of the assault—a woman being dragged into an academic institution in broad daylight—is horrifying in its brazenness. According to police sources, Manojit Mishra, the main accused, allegedly proposed marriage to the victim. Upon rejection, he orchestrated the crime with assistance from Promit Mukherjee, Zaid Ahmed, and a college guard. The premeditation involved in the act—capturing it on video for further blackmail—elevates this beyond a personal crime to one of calculated cruelty.
CCTV footage now central to the investigation shows the men moving in tandem with chilling coordination, suggesting a rehearsed operation. The presence of a college guard among the accused also raises serious questions about institutional complicity. What structures allowed this environment to exist—and how many such environments go unnoticed across Indian campuses?
The Politics: TMC’s Fractured Voice and Opposition Strategy
- The accused is linked to Trinamool Congress’s youth wing, but the party says this won’t influence justice.
- TMC leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Madan Mitra made remarks perceived as victim-blaming.
- Trinamool officially distanced itself from these comments, while Mahua Moitra called out the misogyny.
What might have remained a tragic but isolated crime was quickly engulfed by West Bengal’s political crossfire. When senior Trinamool figures chose to comment—Banerjee stating, “how can you ensure security if a friend rapes a friend,” and Mitra suggesting the survivor should not have met the accused—the narrative took a dangerous turn. These statements not only ignored the power dynamics at play but also leaned on antiquated, patriarchal notions of female behavior.
Mahua Moitra’s swift condemnation showcased a rare instance of intra-party dissent against misogyny. Still, the fact that such damage control was necessary reflects a broader malaise within political discourse—where safeguarding party image often trumps standing with victims.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, has mobilized a four-member fact-finding committee to visit the college and investigate. While some see this as a political manoeuvre, the growing unrest in Bengal suggests that both ruling and opposition forces will have to reckon with the public demand for transparency, reform, and safety on campuses.
The Protest: Reclaiming the Campus, Reclaiming the Narrative
- The state has seen a rise in student-led protests across campuses demanding safety, justice, and accountability.
- The survivor was taken back to the scene for a crime reconstruction, a step seen by many as retraumatizing.
- Calls for expulsion, internal safety audits, and independent grievance cells are rising.
From Jadavpur to Presidency to South Calcutta Law College itself, protests have rippled through academic institutions. Students, activists, and civil society groups have demanded more than just arrests. They want systemic change: institutional grievance redressal bodies with autonomy, gender sensitisation across campuses, and clear protocols for responding to assault allegations.
The crime reconstruction—where the survivor was taken back to the guardroom—has also triggered a debate. Was it necessary, or could her testimony have sufficed? Trauma-informed justice remains a fledgling concept in India’s criminal law system, and this case may become a watershed moment in evaluating what ‘due process’ should look like when survivors are retraumatised by the very institutions meant to protect them.
When Silence Isn’t An Option: Rethinking Safety and Power in India’s Campuses
The Kolkata law college rape case doesn’t just ask for justice—it demands systemic reckoning. That a woman could be abducted and assaulted in an educational institution, and then blamed by political leaders, reveals the brutal nexus of patriarchy, political impunity, and institutional apathy.
Accountability, in this case, must not end at individual convictions. It must extend to political leadership, academic administration, and the broader societal attitudes that allow such crimes to be downplayed or distorted. As India’s youth—especially its women—reclaim public spaces and demand equity, this case may yet serve as a breaking point.
For now, the CCTV camera has captured more than just a crime. It has recorded the failure of an entire system to protect one of its own.
