HC shuts all union rooms in Bengal colleges, official use allowed after permission

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed that all union rooms in colleges and universities across West Bengal be identified and closed immediately. The court stated that these rooms may only be used for official purposes, and only with prior written permission from the institution’s Principal or Registrar. Recreational or unauthorised use of union rooms has been strictly prohibited by the court. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 17.

The directive came during the ongoing hearing into the June 25 incident at South Calcutta Law College, where a 24-year-old female student alleged she was gang-raped by three men inside the campus. According to her complaint, the main accused had confined her in a room and, along with two others, allegedly assaulted her. The accused include Manojit Mishra (31), a temporary staff member and former student, Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20), both current students.

The survivor stated that she was forcibly confined, assaulted, and threatened with videos of the incident. A preliminary medical examination has been conducted, and the college premises where the incident allegedly occurred have been sealed for forensic investigation. The court has directed the college to file an affidavit regarding the incident and ordered the state to submit the investigation report and case diary.