Kolkata gangrape case: Two faces of Manojit ‘Mango’ Mishra
On June 25, 2024, a 24-year-old student alleged that Monojit and two others forced her into the college union room after the classes were over around 5pm. When she tried to leave, she was dragged into another room, gang raped and filmed by the three men including allegedly Manojit.
New Delhi: He was the star of campus politics praised endlessly. He was one of the names
everyone knew. He organized protests, stood up for justice and gave speeches
about justice and even demanding death penalty for rapists.
"Manojit Dada is in our hearts” says a wall graffiti inside the Kolkata law college. This
wall is a chilling reminder of how far influence can go-even after someone has been
accused of gang raping a fellow student.
The charisma that concealed abuse
However, Monojit Mishra, the man once adored as "Dada”, now sits in police custody for
being the prime accused in the Kolkata gangrape case that has shocked the city and shattered illusions of campus safety.
On June 25, 2024, a 24-year-old student alleged that Monojit and two others forced
her into the college union room after the classes were over around 5pm. When she tried to leave, she was dragged into another room, gang raped and filmed by the three men including allegedly Manojit.
Evidence in the form of CCTV footage gives credence to the victim's claims that she was dragged by 'two men'.
Monojit was no ordinary student. Once a longtime face of the TMC youth wing on campus, he
wielded influence far beyond any formal post. Though he officially graduated in 2022,
but he stayed on in the campus working as a clerical staffer earning Rs 500 a day. So why did he stay on the campus after completing law? This was likely to maintain the power, influence and cult-like following he’d built over years, said a report in NDTV.
His reputation was built on charisma around the college campus. But behind the scenes, his name was tied to numerous complaints of molestation, theft, brawls, and even accused of tearing off a woman’s clothes on campus in the past.
Students say faculty and staff feared him, and some classmates skipped college altogether to avoid him. Others say he morphed photos of women and made them viral, mocking and shaming them.
Despite this, no serious action was taken against him. Student elections weren't conducted
since 2017, giving men like Monojit unchecked control. Even after he was disowned by the party in 2017 following cases of vandalism, he continued to function as the de facto campus neta.
His father, a humble priest from Kalighat, has expressed heartbreak and regret. "If
he is guilty he should receive the harshest punishment with me accepting it being my head down,” an HT Online report said quoting his father.
Meanwhile, the ruling Trinamool Congress and its youth wing have rushed to distance themselves
from Monojit claiming he holds no current affiliation with them.
(With inputs from Niswarth)