In a significant development in the South Calcutta Law College gangrape case, the Alipore Court on Tuesday remanded three primary accused — Monojit Mishra, Pramit Mukherjee, and Zaib Ahmed — to police custody until July 8. The fourth accused, security guard Pinaki Banerjee, was sent to police custody until July 4.
Incident details: Crime inside a law college
The case stems from an incident on June 25, when a female student was allegedly gangraped inside South Calcutta Law College, located in the Kasba area of Kolkata. The shocking crime has stirred political and public outrage across West Bengal. According to the Kolkata Police, the three main accused were arrested within 12 hours of the case being registered.
Inhaler used not for aid but for torture, says govt lawyer
During Tuesday's court proceedings, government prosecutor Saurin Ghoshal made a sensational claim: an inhaler used on the victim was not for treatment, but to revive and further torture her.
"When the victim had trouble breathing, the accused administered the inhaler only to continue her physical torture," Ghoshal told the court. He added that medical, electronic, and environmental evidence corroborated the survivor’s testimony. "There is still a lot more to uncover," he said, requesting police custody until July 10. The court, however, granted custody until July 8.
Accused not produced physically in court due to security concerns
All accused were scheduled to appear in Alipore Court on Tuesday after completing the first phase of police custody. However, due to security concerns, they were not physically produced and appeared via video conferencing.
Security guard also sent to custody, denied bail
Pinaki Banerjee, the college's security guard, has also been named an accused. His lawyer argued that he was a low-paid employee with no active role in the crime. However, the victim's legal counsel countered, stating that Pinaki locked the college gate, actively aiding the crime.
"He is part of the conspiracy and must not be granted bail," the lawyer argued. The court denied bail and remanded him to three days of police custody until July 4.
BJP slams TMC govt, forms fact-finding committee
The incident has triggered a political storm. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly criticised the TMC-led West Bengal government, claiming such crimes are now becoming a pattern.
"The kind of incidents happening in Bengal are no longer isolated — they are part of a growing pattern," said BJP leader Satpal Singh, addressing the media. The BJP has formed a fact-finding team including former Union Ministers Meenakshi Lekhi, Satpal Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra, and Lok Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb, who met with senior police officials and reviewed the investigation.
Earlier today, Union Minister Shantanu Thakur demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging a collapse of law and order in the state.
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