A law student aspiring to join South Calcutta Law College was allegedly gang-raped inside the institution by a former student, with two senior students assisting in the crime, Kolkata police said on Friday, June 27.
The horrifying incident, which occurred on the evening of June 25, has sent shockwaves through the state, drawing parallels to the rape and murder of an intern at RG Kar Medical College last year.
According to police, the victim had arrived at the college in the afternoon to fill out academic forms after being summoned by individuals known to her. Later that evening, she was allegedly forced into a guard’s room on the ground floor near the students’ union office and raped till 10 pm.
Accused remanded to 4-day police custody
The main accused, a practising criminal lawyer at the Alipore police and sessions court and an alumnus of the college, was arrested along with two bonafide senior students of the institution.
All three were produced in court and have been remanded to police custody for four days.
Police are also in the process of recording the survivor’s confidential statement before a judicial magistrate.
Sources from the college confirmed that the prime accused, ironically a criminal lawyer, had been appointed as a temporary non-teaching staff member on a renewable 45-day contract.
Social media posts show the key accused as a former president of the college’s Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) unit and the current organisational secretary of the TMCP’s south Kolkata wing. Images of him with several senior leaders of the ruling party have also surfaced.
Vice principal of the college, Dr Nayna Chatterji, stated, “This person was appointed by the GB on a purely temporary basis. I got the information from the security guard that the police have sealed two rooms of our college. I am trying to find out what has happened.”
Police sealed the alleged crime scene and stated that forensic teams will be collecting evidence shortly.
Victim alleges assault was filmed, used for blackmail
“According to the complaint she filed at the Kasba police station on Thursday, she was asked by the miscreants to stay back. In the evening she was allegedly taken to the room on the ground floor of the college and raped by the accused till around 10 pm. We have sealed the room, and our forensic experts will soon be there to collect evidence,” an officer said.
A senior official involved in the probe added that the victim alleged the act was filmed on mobile phones.
“She has alleged that the three accused had kept the mobile footage of the assault and threatened to release it on the internet if she talked to anybody about the incident,” he said.
The mobile phones of all three accused have been seized and sent for forensic examination. Authorities are now investigating whether the video was shared with others.
“We are trying to find out whether the video footage was forwarded to other numbers or not,” the officer said, adding that the victim has undergone mandatory medical tests.
NCW steps in, seeks report in 3 days
The National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo motu cognisance of the alleged gang-rape of a student inside a Kolkata law college and expressed deep concern over the incident.
NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has written to Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Verma, urging a swift and time-bound investigation. She has directed the police to submit a detailed report within three days.
Amid growing public outrage, the NCW also asked the police to ensure the accused are charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and that the victim receives full medical, psychological, and legal support.
Additionally, Rahatkar called on the commissioner to facilitate appropriate compensation for the survivor under Section 396 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
(With inputs from PTI)
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