The Politics of Rape – India Legal
By Sujit Bhar
On June 25, a horrifying act of sexual violence contained in the South Calcutta Legislation School campus shocked West Bengal and the remainder of the nation. A 24-year-old feminine regulation pupil was brutally raped throughout the safety guard’s room, proper contained in the establishment that was supposed to guard and empower her. The accused, Monojit Mishra, additionally recognized by the nickname “Mango” (he had two accomplices) is a recognized Trinamool Congress (TMC) functionary and a former pupil of the identical School. The sheer brutality of the crime and the political connections of the accused have once more thrown a highlight on the endemic tradition of impunity that appears to guard the highly effective in West Bengal.
In keeping with the survivor’s formal criticism, Mishra lured her with a promise of an necessary pupil union put up—she already is the ladies’ secretary of the School, and he or she was referred to as, purportedly for some “necessary dialogue”. As a substitute, Mishra allegedly proposed to her, and when she turned him down, he ambushed her, dragged her into the guard’s room, and raped her, with two of his accomplices watching. The safety guard was made to sit down outdoors. Her cries and resistance had been ignored, and it’s alleged that the act was filmed. Her criticism additionally mentions bodily assault with a hockey stick.
Her authorized counsel, a professor from the identical school, has confirmed that the survivor instantly knowledgeable her household and went to the police, regardless of the psychological trauma she endured.
Mishra isn’t any stranger to controversy. Former batchmates and present college students describe him as a “terror” who dominated the campus with impunity, usually backed by his political connections. Experiences recommend there are a number of complaints and FIRs pending in opposition to him, most of which haven’t seen the sunshine of judicial scrutiny. This tradition of worry and silence allowed his alleged predatory behaviour to proceed unchecked.
The three accused, as additionally the guard, have been arrested.
ECHOES OF RG KAR
The incident comes simply 11 months after the chilling rape and homicide of a junior intern physician at RG Kar Medical School. That case, too, had generated mass protests, and it momentarily appeared that justice is likely to be served. Nonetheless, the momentum was ultimately misplaced. A civic volunteer was arrested, however robust circumstantial proof clearly pointed to deeper institutional complicity, together with the doable function of the then principal. That was by no means pursued. The CBI, introduced in after a Excessive Court docket directive, has made no significant progress. The case, for all sensible functions, is now lifeless.
There are robust fears that the regulation school rape case could observe the identical trajectory. The instant arrests of Mishra and two others (college students Zaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukherjee) are seen by many as token actions. The fees, although critical, could have been intentionally weakened to permit authorized manoeuvring later. Notably, sections regarding gangrape (Part 376D IPC) weren’t utilized initially. Investigative delays and dilution of expenses are basic techniques employed in politically delicate instances.
What distinguishes this case is the unflinching braveness of the survivor. Regardless of threats and the social stigma hooked up to sexual assault, she went public, filed a criticism, and secured authorized help. Her assertion to the police particulars the horrors of that night time, and the way she feared for her life. Forensic proof reportedly features a blood-stained bedsheet, hair samples, the hockey stick used for assault, and CCTV footage from the School premises.
She was additionally reportedly filmed through the act, a tactic usually utilized by perpetrators to blackmail victims into silence. Nonetheless, this survivor refused to remain quiet, turning that proof in opposition to her assailants. Her energy has impressed a wave of pupil protests and girls’s rights advocacy throughout Kolkata, even because the administration stays silent.
THE DARK POLITICAL UNDERBELLY
Mishra’s TMC affiliation has introduced intense scrutiny to the ruling occasion. Opposition events, particularly the BJP (the primary opposition occasion within the state, with 38 % help, in opposition to the TMC’s almost 47 %), have demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and have referred to as for a court-monitored investigation. Whereas the TMC has formally condemned the act and distanced itself from Mishra, its previous behaviour—significantly within the RG Kar case—has led many to consider that this distancing is merely performative.
A number of pupil leaders and school members declare that complaints in opposition to Mishra had been routinely suppressed by the School administration. Allegations of Mishra utilizing his affect to realize entry to administrative powers within the School have emerged. It raises critical questions on how deep the political rot goes inside instructional establishments within the state.
A public curiosity litigation has already been filed on the Calcutta Excessive Court docket, searching for the instant switch of the case to the CBI. Nonetheless, given the CBI’s abysmal dealing with of the RG Kar case, many are sceptical about whether or not this is able to deliver justice or just be one other ploy to delay proceedings.
However, judicial oversight is important. There are issues that the Kolkata Police, which stories to the state authorities, could also be below strain to underplay or mishandle the investigation. The appointment of a Particular Investigation Group (SIT) has been introduced, however its autonomy continues to be in query.
IMPACT ON TMC’S FORTUNES
This case has the potential to wreck the TMC’s picture considerably, particularly with state elections scheduled for 2026. The occasion has lengthy cultivated a picture of grassroots activism and social justice, significantly below Banerjee’s management. However, repeated incidents of sexual violence, adopted by institutional inaction, are eroding that narrative.
The opposition is already mobilizing. Public rallies, social media campaigns, and authorized actions are all being deployed to construct momentum in opposition to TMC. The occasion’s perceived failure to guard ladies—even inside instructional establishments—might value it city youth and girls voters, demographics it can’t afford to alienate.
There are some points that should be dealt with with urgency.
- Speedy strengthening of expenses: The accused should be booked below applicable sections, together with Part 376D (gangrape), kidnapping, and felony intimidation. The delays in including these expenses are deeply suspicious.
- Clear investigation: A court-monitored SIT or an empowered CBI probe with judicial oversight is essential. Any proof tampering, coercion of witnesses, or political interference should be handled harshly.
- Sufferer and witness safety: The survivor should be supplied round the clock safety, psychological well being help, and authorized assist. Witnesses should be protected against intimidation.
- Institutional reform: South Calcutta Legislation School should be audited for administrative lapses. Any employees member who aided or ignored Mishra’s behaviour must be suspended pending inquiry.
- Political accountability: The TMC should transcend statements and take demonstrable motion, together with expelling all accused from occasion ranks and cooperating totally with the probe.
This rape is, sadly, not an remoted incident—it’s the symptom of a deep and harmful malaise. West Bengal, as soon as essentially the most progressive and culturally free state, appears to have sunk right into a deep darkish pit that has main social implications, to not discuss implications within the poll field. Right now, because it appears, ladies in Bengal, particularly college students and dealing professionals, are more and more discovering themselves unsafe, even in supposedly safe areas. The state’s establishments—police, faculties, even central businesses—have proven a stunning reluctance to pursue justice when political pursuits are concerned.
The survivor of this heinous crime has proven extraordinary braveness. Now it’s as much as the judiciary, civil society, and a vigilant public to make sure that her struggle shouldn’t be in useless. If the state fails her, it fails each girl who dares to dream of equality, dignity, and security.
