Kolkata law college rape case spotlights control of Bengal student unions

Hindustan Times

23-07-2025

On June 25, a 24-year-old student was allegedly gang raped at Kolkata's South Calcutta Law College (SCLC). In her complaint, the student described the prime accused, Monojit Mishra, as an ex-college student, an official, and the unofficial head of the SCLC unit of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the students' wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), 'who holds much power'. A 24-year-old student was allegedly gang raped at Kolkata's South Calcutta Law College in June. (PTI)
The student said that Mishra was allotting posts for the college's TMCP unit at the students' union room on the campus on June 25. She was appointed as a secretary, and the general secretary of the student union was also present as the posts were allotted.
In his social media profile, Mishra, who graduated in 2022, described himself as the former head of the unit.
TMCP state chief Trinankur Bhattacharjee said Mishra may have been associated with their organisation during his student life, but he never held any important post. 'The TMCP has not had a unit in the college over the years.'
TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee also wrote a letter to the college's students' union and TMCP in December 2024 over an event called Parivartan. HT has a copy of the letter on Banerjee's letterhead.
Bhattacharjee said the letter was sent not to any individual but to the address from which an invitation had come. 'Banerjee's office sent the reply and not him,' said Bhattacharjee.
The TMCP has been accused of unofficially running student unions and collecting money for social and cultural events, even as student union elections were last held in government-affiliated colleges and universities in the state in 2017.
The elections have been delayed even as West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Composition, Functions and Procedure for Election of Students' Council) Rules, 2017, mandate conducting them once in every two years.
Left-wing student organisation Students' Federation of India (SFI) leader Srijan Bhattacharya said TMC and TMCP leaders have been placed in governing bodies of colleges as government nominees, giving them the power to intervene in their matters.
An SCLC official said the TMCP leaders enjoy power even though there are no elected unions. 'They select the union leaders on their own. Protestors face harassment and are sometimes beaten up.'
The Calcutta high court on July 3 directed the state higher education department to shut down students' union rooms in all government colleges and universities as there were no recognised student bodies or councils.
In March, the state told the court that there were no permanent vice-chancellors to facilitate the election process in most universities. The government sought time to amend the rules governing student elections. The court directed the state government to decide when the elections would be held.
Lawyer Sayan Banerjee, who filed a petition over the alleged June 25 gang rape, said student unions do not exist, but colleges collect union fees from every student in every semester. 'There are union rooms in colleges and universities. Festivals and social events are organised in the name of student unions, and crores of rupees are spent. Where is this money going?'
In May 2022, singer KK passed away after performing at a student union event at Gurudas College, where elections were last held five years back.
HT has seen a copy of a fees receipt of Kolkata's Kishore Bharati Bhagini Nivedita College (KBBNC) dated January 2024 for the 5th semester. The charges included ₹225 as Students Union Fees along with admission fees, exam fees, library fees, magazine fees, games and sports fees, among others.
KBBNC principal Shib Shankar Sana said the money is spent on student-related events. 'There are committees, each comprising one or two teachers and students from different semesters. The money is given to the committees to spend on the events.'
Anirudha Sarkar, a functionary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's student wing, alleged that the money ultimately goes to the TMCP as it runs the unions. 'They also extract money from the students during admission. They also organise social events and functions, and the college fund is misused. The college sets up committees under various names to misuse the funds.'
Former TMCP leaders have allegedly recruited in colleges through governing bodies. Mishra was recruited as temporary SCLC staff.
Priyanka Choudhury, the state chief of Congress's student wing National Students' Union of India, said former general secretaries of college unions elected in 2016, who are no longer students of that college, can still be seen frequenting the campus. 'They have been recruited to illegally control the college administration and extort money from students and staff.'
At least 10 former TMCP leaders were allegedly recruited at Hooghly's Raja Peary Mohan College (RPMC) on the recommendation of the college's governing body. The list of recruits includes the former officers of and members of the TMCP's college unit.
Badshah Das, an SFI leader, said it has almost become a norm that a TMCP leader will invariably get a temporary college job.
RPMC principal and ex-officio secretary Sudip Kumar Chakraborty said there have been no temporary recruits since he joined the college in 2017. 'They were recruited earlier with the permission of the governing body.'