A Kolkata court on Monday extended the police custody of the three accused in the alleged gang-rape of a first-year student at a law college in Kolkata’s Kasba area till July 8. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Commission for Women said that the victim is still traumatised and would need more counselling sessions.
The accused include the prime suspect Monojit Mishra, a former student and and temporary staffer at South Calcutta Law College, and two current students – Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukherjee.
Reports have revealed that the prime suspect has a pattern of being involved in serious crimes.
Court Extends Police Custody Of Accused
The trio was arrested on Thursday and produced before the court the following day, which initially remanded them to four-day police custody. Upon production at the Alipore Court on Monday, their police custody was extended till July 8.
A security guard of the college, Pinaki Banerjee, was also arrested on Saturday in connection with the case and was sent to police custody till Tuesday. His custody was extended till July 4.
On completion of the initial remand period, all four were produced before the Alipore Court, which extended their police custody, allowing further interrogation by the investigators.
According to PTI, the defence lawyers of the three – Mishra, Ahmed, and Mukherjee – did not move bail pleas and instead told the court that the accused were fully cooperating with the investigation and were willing to help bring out the truth.
They also urged the court to ensure that no media trial takes place before the charges are proven, requesting that the accused not be "victimised" in the process, as per reports.
The defence counsel prayed that they be allowed to accompany the accused to the crime scene and also remain present during their interrogation by police.
The defence counsel said while the phones of the accused were confiscated, it was not known if the phone of the complainant was also being examined by the investigators.
The extension of police custody was granted following a prayer by the public prosecutor and the investigating officer, who sought more time to question the accused.
The public prosecutor said during argument that the victim woman was given inhaler before being raped by the accused so that they could physically torture her after she was in full consciousness. This was, however, denied by the defence counsel who maintained that the accused bought her an inhaler for humanitarian reason as she was having breathing discomfort.
The defence counsel of the arrested security guard, meanwhile, pleaded for bail, arguing that his client had no prior criminal record and had not left his place of duty on the day of the crime.
He also submitted that the guard had a meagre income and was not involved in the act of rape in any way.
The court, however, rejected the plea and extended his police custody as well.
Earlier, the magistrate had to adjourn the hearing for some time as hundreds of lawyers not associated with the case entered the courtroom.
Two groups of lawyers were engaged in a heated exchange of words - one demanding strict punishment for the accused and the other seeking a fair investigation and opposing the entry of outsiders.
What Did State's Commission For Women Say?
West Bengal Commission for Women chairperson Leena Gangopadhyay on Wednesday said that the law student, who was allegedly gang-raped inside her college in Kolkata, is still "traumatised".
Gangopadhyay said that though the survivor has already been counselled, more such sessions are required for the first-year student who was tortured by three men.
The state women's commission chairperson sought stringent punishment for all those behind the crime.
"We have spoken to the victim; she is visibly traumatised. Her hands were shaking, and we could see the pain on her face. She said one person raped her while the other two watched the act and cooperated," Gangopadhyay said.
"The victim would undergo more counselling sessions. We should not forget that she must be given proper safety and security," Gangopadhyay added.
"We would recommend stringent punishment for all these criminals. Those who watched the crime taking place and cooperated with the prime accused are equally guilty," she said.
Accused Linked To Several Criminal Cases, Girls Skipped Classes In Fear: Reports
According to a report in NDTV, a batchmate of main accused Monojit Misra said that he couldn't be found in campus during 2018 and 2022 and as per speculations he was involved in an attempt to murder case.
The batchmate was quoted in the report saying, "He made life hell for students. Misbehaving with women, ragging, drunken brawls, molestation etc. So we called a meeting and it was decided that he can't enter the campus, except to take exams. Between 2018 and 2022, he was not directly involved in any campus activity. He would sit outside the college gate with his cronies, pick fights, and harass girls. In 2022, a case of harassment was registered against him. In another incident, he hit someone on the head."
Further the person revealed that 'Monojit Mishra was also known as 'Mango' on campus and he was a "rowdy" and this scared students. He said, "He was ferocious. He can kill anyone on the road. It wouldn't matter to him."
The speaker also told the media house that the attendance of girl students had reportedly dropped after Mishra returned to the campus. "Any woman will be scared. He would misbehave with everyone, be it a student, a teacher or a principal," he was quoted saying.
