“Monojit dada is in our hearts (Team MM)” reads a wall graffiti inside the Kolkata law college that has made headlines for a student’s rape on campus. “Monojit dada” here is Monojit Mishra, prime accused in the rape case and an alumnus who wielded huge influence on the campus even after he passed out.

According to Monojit’s profile, he has led the college unit of Trinamool College Chhatra Parishad, the student wing of the ruling party in West Bengal, since 2017. Amid nationwide outrage over the rape case, the Trinamool has claimed he has no links with the party and must face the strictest punishment.

Students of the college say Monojit, called “Mango” by friends, wielded massive clout on campus, to the extent that even teachers and office staff feared him. According to reports, multiple complaints of harassment and molestation had been registered against him in the past, but no action was taken.

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A Priest’s Troublemaker Son

Monojit’s father, Robin Mishra, is a priest at Kalighat, and his mother suffers from neurological issues. Robin Mishra has said in interviews that he worked very hard to provide his son with a good education, but broke off ties due to his involvement in politics and frequent brawls. Monojit stayed nearby and would only come to collect documents delivered to his father’s home. Robin Mishra has said Monojit had been living separately for about four years.

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Neighbours claim Monojit, whose nickname is Papai, was a troublemaker who often got into drunken brawls. Some reports say he had a girlfriend, also a lawyer, who often visited him.

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The Making Of A Campus Neta

Once a promising student aspiring for a career in law, Monojit joined the Kolkata college in 2007 and would have finished the course in 2012. During his time, he became involved in campus politics. In 2011, the Trinamool came to power in Bengal. Monojit dropped out before finishing his course. He took readmission in 2017 and passed out in 2022. His profile describes him as a “criminal lawyer”, but his father has said he spent more time on campus than in the courtroom.

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In 2017, Monojit was allegedly involved in an incident of vandalism at the college’s principal’s office. The Trinamool then dissolved the college’s party unit, so Monojit, officially, didn’t hold a post anymore. But the law college, like several other colleges in Kolkata, has had no student body polls since 2017. So, on the ground, Monojit was still the neta, with a loyal bunch of cheerleaders.

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Interestingly, in 2023, a year after he passed out, Monojit joined the college as a casual, clerical staff member and his appointment letter was issued by the college administration. According to reports, he would get Rs 500 per day for his work. It is curious why a lawyer would settle for this work. The answer, probably, lies in an addiction to the influence and following that he enjoyed on campus.

A Pick-Up Line, And History Of Perversion

According to a report in The Times of India, Monojit’s oft-used pick-up line for women on campus was “tui amay biye korbi?” (Will you marry me?)”. He used the same line when he first approached the 24-year- survivor of the campus rape.

College students have told The Times of India that Monojit would click pictures of female students, morph them and circulate them on WhatsApp groups. The neta and his gang would then body-shame them and gossip about them on campus.

There is more. Some students have said they were so scared of Monojit that they had stopped going to college. Last year, in the aftermath of a doctor’s rape-murder at a Kolkata hospital, huge protests rocked the city. Monojit confronted some students who had joined the march and questioned them. He allegedly threatened and also beat up some of them. Students have said Monojit would openly say that nothing would happen to him as he has access to top netas.

What Happened On June 25

The survivor has alleged in her complaint that Monojit and the two other accused Pramit Mukherjee and Zaib Ahmed called her to the college’s union room around 7 pm on June 25. This raises big questions about the discipline on campus. Classes are over by 5 pm, after which the gates must be closed. How then can students remain in the union room till late? The victim has alleged that a security guard on campus assisted the accused.

She has said that once she reached the union room, Monojit asked her to “prove her loyalty” to Trinamool’s student wing. She smelled a rat and tried to leave, but was dragged to another room and raped there. The accused shot videos and threatened her to stay mum.

Police officers part of the investigation have said that the CCTV footage from the campus has corroborated the survivor’s account and shows her being forced into the room where the crime took place. Four people, including the guard, have been arrested in the case.