Kolkata law college suspends classes indefinitely following gang-rape
KOLKATA, June 30: Three out of the four persons arrested in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a female student at a city-based law college had pre-planned the assault, a police officer said on Monday.
Sleuths of the nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the incident also found that the three accused – Monojit Mishra, Pratim Mukherjee and Zaid Ahmed – had a history of sexually harassing female students of the college.
The fourth accused is the college’s security guard.
According to the officer, the trio would record such episodes on their mobile phones and later use the footage to blackmail the victims.
“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,” the police officer said.
Kolkata Police has launched a search for mobile videos allegedly filmed by the trio.
“Searches were conducted at the residences of accused Mukherjee and Ahmed on Sunday. We are looking for footage related to this and possibly other incidents,” the officer said.The investigators also said a video clip of the June 25 alleged gangrape might have been shared by the accused.
“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 said.The SIT has prepared a list of over 25 people, mostly students of South Calcutta Law College, who were present at the educational institution on June 25 evening, he said.
“All these people will be questioned in connection with the investigation. We have to find out what they witnessed that evening,” he said.
A female student of South Calcutta Law College in the city’s Kasba area was allegedly gangraped by three persons, including an alumnus of the educational institution and two current students.
CLASSES SUSPENDED
The authorities of the South Calcutta Law College, where a student was allegedly by an alumnus and two of her seniors, decided to suspend classes for all students for an indefinite period, a notification issued on Monday said.
The decision was taken by the governing body of the college.
“All BA LLB and LLM (General and Honours) classes of South Calcutta Law College will be suspended and the college premises will remain closed for all students until further notice as decided by the Governing Body,” the notification, issued by the college authorities on June 29, said. The Special Investigating Team (SIT), probing the case, have sealed the union room, the guard’s room and the gates of the college as a part of their investigation.
“The guard room, union room, one washroom and a gate have been sealed as a part of our probe into the matter. These rooms were the place where she was tortured by the three accused,” a senior police officer of Kolkata Police said.
BJP, LEFT WORKERS SCUFFLE
Supporters of the BJP and its youth wing, the BJYM, on Monday scuffled with workers of the Left and their allied organisations outside South Calcutta Law College as a four-member fact-finding team of the saffron party visited the premises where an alleged gang rape of a student took place last week.
Police had a tough time controlling the scuffling groups who gathered there to protest on the same issue of the alleged gang rape by a college alumnus and two seniors.
The BJP and its youth and students’ wings on Monday took out rallies in various parts of Kolkata and West Bengal protesting the alleged crime.
The CPI(M)’s students’ wing SFI also held a protest rally against the alleged crime at College Street in front of the Calcutta University main campus. Supporters of the ABVP which owes its allegiance to the RSS held protests in front of South Calcutta Law College and Kasba police station, under the jurisdiction of which the educational institution is situated. (PTI)