South Calcutta Law College students upset over suspension of academic activities
Telegraph | 3 July 2025
Many students of South Calcutta Law College, where the 24-year-old woman student was allegedly gang-raped on June 25, were concerned about their future because it is not clear when the classes will resume.
A meeting of the college’s governing body was held on Tuesday, but the resumption of classes could not be sorted out.
On Monday, the college authorities issued a notice stating classes would remain suspended and the college premises would remain closed for students until further notice.
According to sources, the governing body, the highest decision-making body of the college, met to endorse the recommendations that the higher education department had sent to vice-principal Nayna Chatterji a day before.
The recommendations which included terminating the employment of Monojit Mishra, 31, the main accused in the alleged gang rape and the rustication of two of his accomplices, Pramit Mukherjee, 20, and Zaib Ahmed, 19, and blacklisting of the security agency that supplied two security personnel.
“But there was no mention of when the college will open. We are scheduled to write the semester examination on July 16. Before that, we scheduled to submit the projects on July 9 and 10. But if the college does not open, how will we complete the submission?” Zoya Sahil, a fourth-year student of South Calcutta Law College, said on Tuesday.
A project carries 20 marks in a semester exam of 100 marks.
Sahil said they met a senior official of Calcutta University on Monday, stating their concern. “We have informed the official about the uncertainty prevailing in our college,” said Sahil.
Pragati Singh, another fourth-year student, said they want the college to be open at the earliest.
“We want to fight for justice. At the same time, we want the college to resume academic activities,” said Singh.
On Tuesday, after the meeting of the governing body, the president of the body, Asok Deb, Trinamool Congress MLA from Budge Budge, said that the college would remain closed as of now, but the office would open.
All the BA LLB and MA LLB classes have been suspended indefinitely as decided by the college’s governing body.
“We want to attend classes. The onus of resuming classes is with the head of the institution. They cannot make us suffer. We took admission in a government-aided law college in Kasba to pursue LLB. Anyway, the horrifying incident that took place on the college premises last week has brought disrepute to the college, and the college administration is to be blamed for this. Now they are playing with the future of the students by suspending the academic activities,” a second-year student told Metro.
Tuesday, vice-principal Chatterji avoided questions on the resumption of classes.
An education department official said they want the college authorities to resume classes immediately.
“Police have sealed the guard room and the students’ union room as part of the investigation process. The stairway to the vice-principal’s room has been blocked as well. The meeting of the governing body had to be held on the ground floor. Classrooms have not been locked. So the college authorities must speak to the police about starting classes immediately,” the official said.