Kolkata law college gang rape: What we know about the 4 arrested accused

The police have arrested four men for their alleged involvement in the horrific gang rape of a law college student in Kolkata on Wednesday (June 25). The main accused is Manojit Mishra, an alumnus of the college, and the other three are senior students Pramit Mukherjee and Zaib Ahmed, and Pinaki Banerjee, a security guard of the college.

The main accused

The key accused is 31-year-old Manojit Mishra, a former student of the college who graduated in 2022, practised law at Alipore court, and then joined the college as a contractual staff member in 2023, according to a report in The Times of India.

In fact, Manojit’s history as a law student goes back to 2007. He first joined a law college in 2007 as a promising student, but then lost focus as he became involved in campus politics and dropped out of college.

He managed to get a seat again in 2017 through his political connections in a five-year BA LLB programme, “the 121st candidate in a course that had only 120 seats” according to one of his batchmates.

Also Read: Law student gangraped in Kolkata; 3 arrested, remanded in 4-day custody

Active in campus politics

Manojit again became active in campus politics, and was part of one controversy after another. He was allegedly part of the group that vandalised the principal’s office in 2017, after which the college’s Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) unit was dissolved. Despite the absence of an official party unit, he reportedly used his clout as a TMCP leader, organising events and throwing his weight around among both staff and students.

There were reportedly several allegations of harassment and molestation against him at the Kasba and Gariahat police stations, but no action was taken against him.

He was reportedly sacked from the college’s TMCP unit leadership in 2021 for rowdyism.

His neighbours in Kalighat — which happens to be Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s neighbourhood too — portray Manojit as a rowdy who often got involved in fights and violent incidents. They said he was always a trouble-maker, getting into drunken brawls. He was notorious for organising drinking binges at the place where he stayed, and his friends would create a ruckus.

Also Read: Kolkata: Woman gangraped for rejecting marriage proposal, says police

Estranged from father

Manojit has reportedly been living alone after the death of his grandmother in 2023 and his mother and sister moved out.

He has been estranged from his father, Robin Mishra, a priest, for almost five years. Though the father and son stay a few houses away from each other, Robin cut ties with Manojit due to his continued involvement in politics rather than pursuing his legal career.

When questioned about his son being arrested for rape, Robin insisted that his son should be held accountable if he is found guilty. Robin said the law should take its course, and Manojit should be punished for his deeds, as “the survivor is also someone’s daughter”.

Manojit’s political career took a hit when he was left out of the Trinamool Congress south Kolkata district committee in 2022.

The other accused

Zaib Ahmed, just 19 years old, is a first-year student of the college. His classmates describe him as one who is easily influenced. He began to take part in college union activities soon after joining the college, and was introduced to Manojit by students involved in campus politics.

The police say that Zaib and Manojit were often seen in each other’s company on campus during the past few months.

Also Read: Kolkata law student rape: 'Like RG Kar movement, we are planning big protests'

The third accused is 20-year-old Pramit Mukherjee, a second-year student of the college. He was reportedly not involved in college politics, but was known to be close to some union members. His friends describe him as a quiet person with no history of violence or misconduct. The police are probing whether Pramit was directly involved or whether he acted under peer pressure.

The security guard who has been arrested, 55-year-old Pinaki Banerjee, was present at the scene and watched the situation unfold, and "was helpless and did not help", according to the victim's complaint to the police. He is currently being interrogated by the police.

The police have seized the mobile phones of the accused for forensic analysis. They were produced before a court and have been sent to police custody.