The alleged political links of the main accused in the gang-rape of a law student on her college campus have given ammunition for the Opposition in Bengal to target the ruling Trinamool.
The law student was allegedly raped on between 7.30 pm and 8.50pm on Wednesday, June 25. Three men were arrested on Thursday night after the survivor filed a police complaint.
The main accused, an ex-student of the college, was temporarily employed at the educational institute. He was appointed on the recommendation made by the college’s governing body president and Trinamool MLA, Ashok Deb, the vice principal of the South Calcutta Law College told reporters on Thursday.
“This is not simply a horrendous crime, this is a burning evidence of the criminalisation of Trinamool Congress,” said the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition in the Assembly. “The student leaders of Trinamool’s students wing have been misusing their power and have created an atmosphere of terror and anarchy on the campuses.”
Opposition parties in Bengal have been speaking against what they call criminalisation of politics in the state since the Trinamool came to power in 2011.
The main accused’s Facebook profile says he has been in an organisational role in the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad’s (TMCP’s) south Kolkata unit since August 2020. There are several photographs of him with senior Trinamool leaders.
The Congress’s south Kolkata district unit held a demonstration outside the Kasba police station on Friday afternoon.
“Law and order is a state subject,” state Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar said. “It is clear the state government did not learn any lessons from the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital incident. We have seen the language that the ruling party leaders use against the police. Did the party take any action against the culprits?”
Sarkar alleged that the Trinamool’s silence on the criminal activities of its leaders had emboldened anti-social elements.
“Criminals know they can get away with anything because the cops have been rendered toothless. If the police are given a free hand, such crimes will be brought to an end,” Sarkar said.
The CPM’s Satarup Ghosh said the Mamata Banerjee government's refusal to hold elections to the college unions gave criminals and anti-socials a free-run on college and varsity campuses.
“A Trinamool Chhatra Parishad union leader was accused of molesting a member of his own unit. He was given the best student award. Elections are not being held. The college unions have been occupied by the Trinamool with the help of criminals like the main accused in the Kasba case,” said Satarup.
Trinamool MLA Ashok Deb said he had called a meeting of the college’s governing body on Monday.
“We will take the strongest action that we can. Rest will be decided by the court,” he said.