Monojit Mishra, the prime accused in the alleged gang rape of a 24-year-old student at South Calcutta Law College, was entrusted by the college with handling student queries in August 2024 — a month after being hired as a casual staffer.
Ironically, two months before his appointment, the college’s vice-principal had filed an FIR against Mishra — former president of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad unit on the campus — for allegedly assaulting a security guard and damaging college property.
Official role
A notice signed by vice-principal Nayna Chatterji, uploaded on the college website on August 13, 2024, stated: “Students are hereby informed that any query related to students dealings of the college may kindly contact to 1) Monojit Mishra; 2) Pallab Adhikary till further notice.”
The notice remained on the college website on Saturday night — nine days after Mishra was arrested. The college governing body removed him from his post of casual staffer on June 30, five days after the alleged rape on the campus.
A notice on Friday evening said the college would reopen on Monday and students should now contact Adhikary for queries.
Growing influence
A teacher who is a governing body member said authorising Mishra to handle student matters helped him build influence.
“Adhikary was handling student affairs alone since 2014. Once Mishra joined, he was also given that responsibility — and listed first in the notice, ahead of Adhikary, suggesting an order of preference,” the governing body member told The Telegraph on Saturday.
Another teacher said Mishra soon began setting his foot firmly in the college administration and asserting authority across campus.
“He started controlling CCTV access at the two gates of the college, installed after a ragging case in December 2022. The vice-principal gave him control of CCTV footage,” the teacher said.
“From admitting students without required ranks in Calcutta University’s entrance test to organising college fests — Mishra got involved in everything.”
Calls and texts to vice-principal Chatterji from The Telegraph went unanswered on Saturday.
In government-aided law colleges like this one in Kasba, only the top 700 candidates in the Calcutta University entrance test are typically admitted.
Zaib Ahmed, 19, who ranked 2,634, was admitted last year. He is one of the four arrested for the gang rape.
Mishra identified both Ahmed and co-accused Pramit Mukherjee, 20, a second-year student, as his “brothers” on Facebook.
Past warnings
On March 23, 2022, the vice-principal wrote to the then joint commissioner of Kolkata Police, flagging concerns that Mishra might disrupt a college event at Ahindra Mancha in Chetla the next day.
“Monojit Mishra, a student of this college, along with his associates, has created problems during other college programmes in the past and has threatened to disrupt the social programme on 24.03.2022. We will be highly obliged if you grant us the permission of the event and provide necessary security on the said event date,” the letter read.
Seven years earlier, a similar letter was sent by then college principal Debasis Chattopadhayay.
In December 2018, principal Chattopadhayay’s letter addressed to Calcutta’s joint commissioner of police, headquarters, said: “Monojit Mishra, a student of this college, with his associates, has created problems during other college programmes in the past and has threatened to disrupt the social programme on 13.12.2018.”
A copy of the letter was sent to the deputy commissioner of police, south division, Kolkata Police, and the officer-in-charge of Chetla police station, under which Ahindra Mancha falls.
A non-teaching staff member said Mishra used his temporary position to assert dominance over students.
“A section of students followed him unquestioningly. That group wrote on a college wall: ‘Monojit dada is in our heart (Team MM),’” the staffer said.