Latest news with #AparajitaBill
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
College crime reignites political debate, protests
Kolkata: Yet another rape, 10 months after the rape-murder of a PGT doctor at RG Kar, reignited a war of words between Trinamool and opposition parties on Friday. "This is not just a crime, it is a glaring proof of Trinamool student organisation netas tarnishing sanctity of educational institutions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A college campus, a sacred place where students come to acquire knowledge, witnessing such brutality is shameful for our society. Trinamool student netas have repeatedly misused their power to create an atmosphere of fear in educational institutes," said 's Suvendu Adhikari. CPM's Sujan Chakraborty, while leading a rally outside Kasba police station, took a dig at main accused Manojit Mishra's association with TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. He said, "Illegal unions must be shut down. Student union polls need to be organised." SFI, AIDSO, and SUCI also took out rallies outside the college and Kasba PS. A group of demonstrators even scaled the law college gate and tore posters of CM Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee on the campus. Meanwhile, outside Kasba PS, Left supporters clashed with cops, forcing deployment of RAF. There was massive traffic jam on Rasbehari connector from afternoon till evening because of the protests. A commuter stuck in traffic near Bijan Setu said, "We were on our way to hospital and are now stuck." Trinamool functionaries termed the incident "heinous" and said they were "pained". They also lauded cop effort for arresting the culprits within 12 hours of the incident being reported. "We are standing with the survivor. There are no words to condemn such a heinous crime, but we want to tell her that those who committed this barbarity were arrested immediately. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now We want her to get justice. The culprits will receive the strictest punishment," said minister Sashi Panja. Education minister Bratya Basu said, "Directorate of Public Instruction has asked the vice principal to convene GB meeting and find out lapses, if any, and take steps to ensure safety. Cops have already arrested the accused." Panja asked why Aparajita Bill that got passed in the assembly was yet to be approved by the Centre. " Instead of resorting to theatrics on streets, BJP should express support for the Bill. Ask the President to pass it. A woman's body is not your political battlefield," Panja said.
India Gazette
7 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
TMC's Shashi Panja urges BJP to behave as responsible opposition in aftermath of gang rape in law college, assures strict action against all accused
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 27 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shashi Panja on Friday expressed her distress over the horrific gang rape of a student at a law college in South Kolkata. She urged the BJP in West Bengal not to politicise the incident and behave as a responsible opposition. She assures strict action against all the accused. Addressing a press conference, Shashi Panja said, 'There was an immediate postmortem and dissection to look at the names and the religion. You have to condemn the incident. You are now trying to show photographs. Trinamool Congress Student wing is not teaching the students to rape. The police took immediate action, and within 12 hours of the complaint, three people were caught. They are in custody, and the investigation is on. Their mobile phones have been seized, and the victim's statement has been taken. She has named the accused. It has been taken seriously. The BJP cannot even think the way Kolkata police swung into action. They started maligning since such swift action is missing in the BJP-ruled states. If they want to be in Bengal as a responsible Opposition, then they have to behave responsibly.' She hit out at the BJP and accused the Central government of holding the Aparajita Bill. 'The Aparajita Bill, which was passed in our Vidhan Sabha before 10 months, who has stopped it from becoming a law? BJP has put it on hold at the centre. Body of a woman is not the object to do politics. We have to respect her body. Such incidents cannot be used for comparison between states based on the number of incidents. West Bengal is the only state to introduce the Aparajita Bill. In some of the states rape accused have been garlanded. You won't see this in West Bengal. Everyone knows which party does this. When they raise such protests we have to tell them to see that the states where you are ruling how you respect the women. This is a serious incident and full investigation will take place. The guilty will be punished,' she further said. A female student was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in Kolkata's Kasba on Wednesday evening. The police have arrested all three accused within 24 hours. The three accused, named as Monojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20), were former students or staff members of the same law college. According to the police, the accused named in the FIR will be produced before the A.C.J.M. of Alipore, South 24 Parganas, with a prayer to remand them to Police Custody for the purpose of a proper investigation into the case. The alleged sexual assault took place between 7:30 pm and 10:50 pm on Wednesday within the law college premises. According to the official, one of the accused allegedly committed sexual assault, while the others were involved in the crime. The victim's family filed a police complaint against the accused, and the police have taken swift action in the matter. Two of the accused, Monojit Mishra and Zaib Ahmed, were arrested on Thursday, near Siddhartha Shankar Roy Sishu Udyan, close to Talbagan Crossing in Kolkata. Pramit Mukhopadhyay was arrested later the same night at his residence. The police have seized the mobile phones of all three accused. The official had visited the site and kept it under protection till they had done a forensic examination. They requested custody remand for further investigation. (ANI)
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Protests erupt across Kolkata over gang rape of law student; Opposition flays Mamata government
Protests erupted across Kolkata on Friday (June 27, 2025) after one of the prime accused in the alleged gang rape of a student at the South Calcutta Law College campus, Monojit Mishra, was identified as a Trinamool Congress student leader. Left-backed student groups laid siege to the Kasba Police Station where the case was registered. Opposition parties have also slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, alleging a nexus between ruling party leaders and criminal elements. In response, the Trinamool leaders have gone into damage-control mode. The two other accused in the case, Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, are students at the same college. Mr. Mishra, 31, had passed had out from the same institute. All three have been arrested and are now in a four-day police custody. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has shared pictures of Mr. Mishra with Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the second-in-command after Mamata Banerjee. 'This incident is not just a crime; it is glaring proof of the Trinamool's student leaders tarnishing the sanctity of educational institutions,' Mr. Adhikari said in a social media post, along with multiple photos of the accused with other ruling party leaders. Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Mohammad Salim told The Hindu that the alleged gang rape was not a one-off incident, but a syndrome led by Trinamool goons. 'This rape and the previous rape and murder of the female doctor in R.G. Kar Hospital is a sad commentary on the condition of our State under Mamata Banerjee. Here, if you work with the Trinamool, you can get away with anything,' Mr. Salim added. He also said that due to lack of student elections, the Trinamool student leaders are able to run a 'nexus' inside the college campuses and there was no elected student body to challenge them. Damage control Shashi Panja, Minister of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, said the Opposition party's efforts to politicise the issue were pathetic. 'All three accused are behind bars within 12 hours of the complaint. We are with the survivor. We passed the Aparajita Bill 10 months ago unanimously in the Legislative Assembly, but the Bill is not being passed by the BJP. If you support this cause, then support the Bill and get it passed by the President,' Ms. Panja said. The Aparajita Bill was passed in 2024 after the R.G. Kar incident. It enhances punishments for rape and sexual assault, particularly against women and children, including death penalty for extreme cases. Trinankur Bhattacharya, State president of the Trinamool student wing, said that they are not denying their past association with the accused but that does not define the party and its stand. 'He was a member in 2019. Forgive us, but we do not know so much astrology that we could predict he would commit such a crime in 2025,' Mr. Bhattacharya added. Protests across Kolkata Student and youth wings of Left parties, including the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) affiliated with the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), and Students' Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest outside the law college. The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), and the student and youth wings of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) laid siege at the Kasba police station. Many of the protestors were also injured in the clashes. Protests were also held by BJP and Congress supporters. Many of the protesters clashed with the police and were detained across the city. A huge contingent of police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were also present on site. The incident brought back memories of the R.G. Kar rape and murder that shook the State and the nation 10 months ago in August 2024. The brutal incident raised many questions about women's safety in educational institutes and workspaces. A civic police volunteer of the Kolkata Police was the prime accused in the case.
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Protests erupt across Kolkata over gang rape of law student; parties slam Bengal Government
Protests erupted across Kolkata on Friday (June 27, 2025) after one of the prime accused in the alleged gang rape of a student at the South Calcutta Law College campus, Monojit Mishra, was identified as a Trinamool Congress student leader. Left-backed student groups laid siege to the Kasba Police Station where the case was registered. Opposition parties have also slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, alleging a nexus between ruling party leaders and criminal elements. In response, the Trinamool leaders have gone into damage-control mode. The two other accused in the case, Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, are students at the same college. Mr. Mishra, 31, had passed had out from the same institute. All three have been arrested and are now in a four-day police custody. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has shared pictures of Mr. Mishra with Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the second-in-command after Mamata Banerjee. 'This incident is not just a crime; it is glaring proof of the Trinamool's student leaders tarnishing the sanctity of educational institutions,' Mr. Adhikari said in a social media post, along with multiple photos of the accused with other ruling party leaders. Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Mohammad Salim told The Hindu that the alleged gang rape was not a one-off incident, but a syndrome led by Trinamool goons. 'This rape and the previous rape and murder of the female doctor in R.G. Kar Hospital is a sad commentary on the condition of our State under Mamata Banerjee. Here, if you work with the Trinamool, you can get away with anything,' Mr. Salim added. He also said that due to lack of student elections, the Trinamool student leaders are able to run a 'nexus' inside the college campuses and there was no elected student body to challenge them. Damage control Shashi Panja, Minister of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, said the Opposition party's efforts to politicise the issue were pathetic. 'All three accused are behind bars within 12 hours of the complaint. We are with the survivor. We passed the Aparajita Bill 10 months ago unanimously in the Legislative Assembly, but the Bill is not being passed by the BJP. If you support this cause, then support the Bill and get it passed by the President,' Ms. Panja said. The Aparajita Bill was passed in 2024 after the R.G. Kar incident. It enhances punishments for rape and sexual assault, particularly against women and children, including death penalty for extreme cases. Trinankur Bhattacharya, State president of the Trinamool student wing, said that they are not denying their past association with the accused but that does not define the party and its stand. 'He was a member in 2019. Forgive us, but we do not know so much astrology that we could predict he would commit such a crime in 2025,' Mr. Bhattacharya added. Protests across Kolkata Student and youth wings of Left parties, including the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) affiliated with the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), and Students' Federation of India (SFI) staged a protest outside the law college. The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), and the student and youth wings of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) laid siege at the Kasba police station. Many of the protestors were also injured in the clashes. Protests were also held by BJP and Congress supporters. Many of the protesters clashed with the police and were detained across the city. A huge contingent of police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were also present on site. The incident brought back memories of the R.G. Kar rape and murder that shook the State and the nation 10 months ago in August 2024. The brutal incident raised many questions about women's safety in educational institutes and workspaces. A civic police volunteer of the Kolkata Police was the prime accused in the case.
India Today
10 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Kolkata rape case: Survivor beaten, blackmailed, Trinamool distances from accused
The 24-year-old South Calcutta Law College student, who alleged that she was gang-raped after she rejected a marriage proposal from the main accused, stated in her complaint that she was beaten with a hockey and blackmailed with the video of the assault. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has distanced itself from the main accused, who was a local student leader, and called for strict action against the perpetrators. The party also criticised the BJP for politicising the issue and delaying the implementation of the Aparajita Bill, aimed at addressing crimes against women.
