Kasba law student rape: College governing body meeting records under scanner

Kolkata, July 5 (IANS) The minutes of successive governing body meetings of South Calcutta Law College (New Campus), located in Kasba in South Kolkata, have come under the scanner of investigating officials probing the case of rape of a law student on the evening of June 25 within the college premises.

According to sources in the Kolkata Police, the meeting records are being examined to determine whether the college authorities had acknowledged previous complaints of high-handedness, hooliganism, or sexual harassment -- allegedly committed by Monojit Mishra, one of the prime accused in the case.

Mishra, who has been identified as the main perpetrator, was reportedly assisted by two others -- Jaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukhopadhyay -- both of whom have also been arrested. The duo has been described by investigators as facilitators in the crime.

Officials have already seized the register containing the minutes of governing body meetings, particularly focusing on records from the past two to three months. They are trying to ascertain whether any warnings or complaints about Mishra were ever discussed during official meetings.

In addition, investigators have seized the college attendance register and documents related to Mishra’s appointment as a contractual staff member -- a position he was given just a few months before the incident.

Police sources said that Mishra, a former student of the same college, was appointed despite several complaints against him. These include accusations of bringing outsiders into the campus to assault junior students, use of weapons to cause injuries, general hooliganism, and repeated instances of sexually harassing female students.

By reviewing his appointment records, police are attempting to identify who may have influenced the decision to overlook his criminal background.

The case was recently transferred to the Detective Department of Kolkata Police, which has added fresh charges against the three accused. While the initial charges included rape, the revised FIR now includes sections related to abduction and assault with weapons.

--IANS

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