In a shocking update in the South Kolkata Law College gang rape case, accused Manojit Mishra allegedly hit the victim on the head in a fit of rage when she tried to stop him during the rape. According to the police, he had banged her head against the bed in the guard room. Earlier, the accused had also allegedly hit the victim’s head against the wall and tried to hit her with a hockey stick when he was stopped during an attempt to rape her in the washroom of the union room.
The detective department of Kolkata Police probing the gang rape case has revealed this information. The consequences of hitting the head in this way during sexual assault could have been fatal, feels police.
According to police sources, when the victim was first forcibly taken to the washroom and the perpetrators attempted to rape her, she shoved Manojit, who in turn tried to bang her head against the wall. After this, the victim was dragged to the guard room where Manojit sexually assaulted her again. When she tried to resist the rape, Manojit slammed her head against the bed and allegedly hit her on the head. However, the injury was not as fatal due to cardboard and bedsheets spread over the bed.
Who is Manojit Mishra?
Manojit Mishra, a former student and contractual staffer at the law college, was arrested alongside three others—two current students and the campus security guard—for the alleged gang rape of a female student on the college premises. The incident occurred on the evening of June 25, between 7:30 PM and 10:50 PM, when the college gates were locked.
According to the victim’s statement, Manojit led the assault while the two other students stood guard. Disturbingly, the security guard present at the scene failed to intervene. The victim alleges she was raped multiple times, and the fear of retaliation left her isolated and helpless.
Prime accused in the gang rape case, Mishra allegedly held a prominent position in the Trinamool Congress student council (TMCP) and was practicing as a lawyer in the Alipore court.
Condition of guard room matches with victim’s description: Police
After being resisted while trying to rape her, Mishra tried to hit the girl with a hockey stick as per police. A separate section has been added against the accused for beating the victim in this way. Detectives are also investigating this matter separately.
The accused college security guard, Pinaki Banerjee, told the police during interrogation that he had entered the room only once after Manojit and the victim left after raping him inside the guard room of his college room. However, he did not want to sleep on that bed so spent the night outside the room.
After the complaint, when police entered the guard room, they found that the description of the room matched with that given by the victim. The police also claimed that no evidence was destroyed in that room.
Manojit used College Union Room and Guard Room for drinking alcohol with friends
The security guard in his statement to the police has shared that Manojit had instructed him and other security guards in advance that during the day or in the evening, he along with his friends could use the union room or guard room for drinking alcohol and hence nobody’s name should be mentioned in the register book maintained by the guards. The police have confiscated the register book as part of the ongoing investigation.
West Bengal Bar Council revokes Manojit Mishra’s licence
Meanwhile, the West Bengal Bar Council has revoked the licence of Manojit Mishra, barring him from practising law. This decision comes after Mishra’s name emerged as the prime accused in the alleged rape of a student at South Kolkata Law College and subsequent revelations of his past misdeeds. In a meeting of the Bengal Bar Council this week, it was decided that Mishra’s name would be removed from the list of lawyers and the decision would be communicated to the Central Bar Council. This move effectively bars Mishra from representing clients in any court in the state.
