Kolkata: Law student 'gangrape' pre-planned; three PILs to be filed in case

The Kolkata gangrape which has sent shockwaves across the country was a 'pre-planned assault', said the police on Monday (June 30).

Three out of the four persons arrested in connection with the alleged gang-rape of a 24-year-old female student at a city-based law college had pre-planned the assault, a police officer told PTI. The prime accused alumnus is Manojit Mishra, while the other two accused are current students Promit Mukherjee and Zaid Ahmed.

A guard of the college, who is the fourth accused in the case, was also apprehended on Saturday morning, according to the police.

CCTV footage

Moreover, CCTV footage has also confirmed what the female student has been saying. She was reportedly dragged by two accused, who pulled her from the gate to the South Calcutta Law College premises.

The CCTV footage shows the movements of the three accused, the security guard, and the victim. The fourth accused in this case is the security guard.

Also read: Kolkata gangrape: SIT collects DNA, seizes hockey stick, CCTV footage

History of sexual harassment

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.

Police has told the media that Monojit Mishra is a "history-sheeter" with several cases and chargesheets against him in the Kolkata Police jurisdiction.

According to the officer, the trio would record such episodes on their mobile phones and later use the footage to blackmail the victims.

Search for videos

"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.

Also read: Kolkata gangrape: What can one do if a friend rapes friend? asks TMC MP

"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.

Three PILs

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Monday granted permission to three advocates to file separate PILs over the alleged gangrape of a law student in her college.

They are seeking an investigation under the supervision of the court and steps to ensure security in colleges across West Bengal.

Drawing attention of a division bench presided by Justice Soumen Sen, the three advocates sought permission of the court to file separate PILs over the alleged gang rape of the law student.

The bench granted permission to the lawyers to file the petitions.

The matters are likely to be taken up for hearing later this week, one of the lawyers who moved the court said.

Meanwhile, 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.

The gangrape

The 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 on June 25.

The woman alleged she was “beaten with hockey stick, filmed” and blackmailed. The police suspects she was raped because she declined Mishra's marriage proposal.

Kolkata Police formed a five-member special investigation team (SIT), led by an assistant commissioner rank officer, to probe the case.