MP, 1 July 2025, Kolkata: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police, currently investigating the Kasba law college rape case, is focusing closely on establishing a precise timeline of the incident to ensure a watertight case.
The DNA samples of the three accused were collected on Monday as a part of the investigation of the crime. According to sources, the prime accused,
Monojit Mishra, is a known history-sheeter with multiple pending cases related to sexual harassment and violent crimes.
Reportedly, the three accused—Monojit Mishra, Pratim Mukherjee and Zaid Ahmed—had a history of sexually harassing female students of the college. The trio would record such episodes on their mobile phones and later use the footage to blackmail the victims.
Moreover, it was learnt that three out of the four persons arrested had pre-planned the assault. Mishra’s ties with criminal activities are not just confined within the boundaries of the law college in south Kolkata where he allegedly led the sexual assault against his latest victim on June 25 but has been previously arrested and charge-sheeted for violent crimes committed outside the campus as well.
Reportedly, the ex-student has pending cases of sexual assault registered against him across multiple police stations in south Kolkata, including at Kasba Police Station, Gariahat PS, Kalighat PS, Tollygunge PS and Anandapur PS.
According to a news agency, Mishra vanished from police radar in 2013, the same year he took admission in the law college, after he was charged with stabbing a youth on the Chetla Bridge under Kalighat Police Station jurisdiction and was rusticated from the institution.
Mishra resurfaced in 2017 when he took re-admission to the same college to study law and remained a student until he passed out in 2022, claimed a report.
Some of his batch mates and contemporaries describe him as a ‘perpetual trouble-maker’ who harassed girls on flimsy grounds. It was also reported that official complaints made by students in the past reveal Mishra displayed a consistent and disturbing pattern of sexual aggression for years.
Meanwhile, according to sources, with all prime accused arrested within 12 hours of the case being registered, police are now concentrating on establishing a detailed timeline to strengthen the case. Investigators have found that the survivor’s account of events aligns sequence-wise with the CCTV footage examined so far.
On Sunday, police also collected footage from a nearby pharmacy, which shows one of the accused purchasing an inhaler at around 8:29 pm. Apart from the CCTV footage, police had also seized a copy of the medicine bill where the accused‘s name was printed. The buying of the inhaler by one of the accused also corroborated the claim by the woman who had requested a particular inhaler as she had a panic attack and was experiencing shortness of breath.
The police have requested the call records of the accused individuals to determine whom they have been in contact with. Additionally, investigators are examining various electronic devices to see if the accused have made any copies of the videos recorded during the crime.
Reacting to the developments, the Bengal Higher Education department on Monday directed the college authorities to take stringent action against the accused and implement urgent measures to restore safety and discipline on campus. Besides, the college has suspended all classes and announced the closure of the campus for students until further notice.
In a parallel development, on Monday, when a BJP fact-finding team was entering the law college in Kasba, a section of the protestors from ‘reclaim the night’ movement got involved in an altercation with the saffron party workers which turned into a melee.
As the BJP team attempted to enter the premises, the protesters allegedly tried to block their way and raised slogans against the BJP. Retaliating BJP workers also started shouting slogans which created a heated situation there.
Soon, a scuffle broke out between some members of the protestors and the BJP workers. However, police quickly intervened and brought the situation under control. https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/sit-builds-timeline-in-kasba-rape-case-dna-samples-of-3-accused-collected-617033
