Kolkata law student rape case: Classes to resume at Kolkata’s college as probe continues

The South Calcutta Law College, where a student was gang-raped on June 25, issued a notice directing only designated staff and students of certain semesters to attend college from July 7, as the investigation into the case continues.

By June 28, ex-student and temporary staff member Monojit Mishra, 31; current students Pramit Mukhopadhyay, 20, and Zaib Ahmed, 19; and the security guard on duty, Pinaki Banerjee, 55, had been arrested in connection with the gangrape and wrongful confinement of a 24-year-old student, among other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Classes had been suspended after the college campus, particularly the guard room where the incident allegedly unfolded, had been sealed off for the investigation. The notice follows permissions from the Joint Commissioner of Police and directions from the institution’s governing body.

“All teaching & non-teaching staff shall remain in the college from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mr. Barun Mahali, [the] permanent guard, will leave the college after checking [the] entire college building and locking the main gate. Only students of [the] 4th, 6th, and 8th semester[s] are directed to come to the college with proper college ID cards,” the notice issued on July 4 reads.

The notice also states that no student without a “valid official purpose” will be allowed to enter the college premises.

Questions had been raised earlier about the unchecked entry of outsiders on the campus, as alleged by multiple current students of the South Calcutta Law College. Notably, the entry of the prime accused, Mr. Mishra, was also allegedly unbarred, even before he was appointed as a temporary non-teaching staff member of the college.

On Saturday (July 5, 2025), protests continued in the city against the incident that unfolded at South Calcutta Law College. Activists of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) staged a demonstration outside the Kasba Police Station, clashing with police personnel who pushed back from the barricades towards a surging crowd of protestors.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police, as part of its ongoing investigation, recorded statements from students, staff members, and others associated with the institution.