Opposition leaders warn Mamata government: "Don't escape from the hands of sin"

The alleged gang-rape of a female law student at South Kolkata Law College has ignited furious condemnation from opposition leaders, who are warning of severe political repercussions for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). Within a year of the infamous RG Kar Medical College incident, this new case has once again cast a dark shadow over the safety of female students on college campuses across the state. The main accused, Manojit Mishra, an alumnus and alleged former leader of the ruling party's student organization (TMCP), has become the focal point of this political outrage.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, launched a scathing attack on the state government, stating, "The entire Kolkata Police has gone to Digha... This Chief Minister does not deserve to be in the chair. We are taking up the issue. It will be a very big thing." Adhikari, who had earlier shared pictures of Mishra with Abhishek Banerjee, also claimed the arrests were a "show of force" and demanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's resignation. Echoing this sentiment, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar warned, "No matter how much the Chief Minister pulls the chariot... a girl is being killed by bombing in Kaliganj, the dignity of women is being robbed... Abhaya was raped and murdered by G... he will not be saved from this sin." Majumdar directly challenged the government to verify any connections between the accused and the Trinamool Congress, asserting that "there is no security in the educational centers in the college" following the alleged "G-tax scandal."

While TMC leader Firhad Hakim has denied any direct link between Manojit Mishra and the Trinamool, stating that "those against whom allegations are made were never associated with Trinamool," photographic evidence circulating on social media suggests otherwise, showing Mishra with several high-ranking TMC leaders. Meanwhile, Trinamool's social media cell in-charge Debangshu Bhattacharya condemned the Kasba incident as "condemnable, unbearable," and praised the administration's swift arrests, while also subtly attacking the BJP by suggesting quick arrests happen when accused speak Bengali and are not "honored by putting a garland around their necks."

The alleged gang-rape occurred on June 25, between 7:30 PM and 10:50 PM, inside the college campus, reportedly in a guard's room. Kasba Police have arrested Mishra, along with two current students, Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukherjee, all of whom have been remanded to police custody until July 1. Police have conducted medical tests of the victim, collected forensic samples from the crime scene, and seized mobile phones of the accused. The widespread protests by BJP, Congress, SFI, DYFI, and AIDWA outside Kasba Police Station underscore the mounting public and political pressure for a thorough investigation and swift justice in this case.