College staffer, ex-student leader: Who is key accused Manojit Mishra? Arrested in Kolkata gangrape case
Times of India | 28 June 2025
Monojit Mishra KOLKATA: Police in Kolkata have arrested three men after a 24-year-old female law student alleged she was gang-raped inside her college campus on Wednesday evening. The woman, who studies at a law college in south Kolkata, said she was called to the campus on the pretext of being offered a key position in the student union. According to her complaint, between 7. 30pm and 10. 50pm, she was taken to the campus security guards’ room, where she was sexually assaulted and threatened. Her father later took her home. On Thursday at 4. 45pm, an FIR was lodged at the local police station, naming three accused: Manojit Mishra, a former student currently employed at the college, and current students Pramit Mukherjee (20) and Zaib Ahmed (19).
Mishra and Ahmed were arrested from the Talbagan crossing around 7. 20pm the same day, while Mukherjee was picked up from his residence at 12. 30am on Friday. All three were produced before the Alipore Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate on Thursday morning and remanded to police custody until 1 July. Who is Manojit Mishra?Mishra has had a long association with the college. He initially enrolled in 2007 but dropped out, rejoining in 2017 for a BA LLB course and graduating in 2022. He was active in the student wing of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and rose to a leadership role. However, in 2021, he was removed from his post following reports of unruly behaviour, including a 2017 incident of vandalism in the principal’s office. Despite multiple allegations of harassment and molestation during his student years, no police case was filed at the time. In 2023, he returned to the college as a contractual non-teaching staffer. Police are investigating whether his continued influence on campus and previous political links may have shielded him from disciplinary or legal consequences earlier. Mishra lived alone in Kalighat, estranged from his family. His father, Robin Mishra, a local priest, publicly stated that his son should be held accountable if found guilty. Mishra’s mother and sister moved out some years ago, and his grandmother died in 2023. Neighbours described him as aggressive and often involved in drunken altercations at home. Ongoing investigationPolice have taken the survivor’s statement and seized CCTV footage from the college campus. They are examining whether any other staff or students were involved or had knowledge of the incident. Investigators are also reviewing past complaints against Mishra to determine whether any action was suppressed due to political connections. The college administration has not issued a formal statement yet. (The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)