Police kept gangrape case ‘confidential’, College ‘got to know’ via media, says Kolkata Law College Vice Principal

The Vice Principal of South Calcutta Law College, where the alleged gang-rape happened on June 25, stated that the college administration first learned about the incident through media reports.

In an interview with NDTV, Nayana Chatterjee said that the police did not initially inform her or the staff about the case, merely stating they were on official duty.

Also Read: Horrifying details emerge in Kolkata gangrape case: Law student ‘beaten with hockey stick, filmed’, blackmailed

According to Chatterjee, police requested permission to enter the college premises on Thursday, a day after a 24-year-old woman was allegedly raped by two senior students and an alumnus in the guard’s room.

She added that officers described their visit as “confidential” and specifically instructed her not to alert the security guard. That same day, police sealed two rooms on the ground floor as part of their investigation, NDTV reported.

Kolkata Police has formed a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (South Suburban Division), Pradip Ghoshal.

The SIT is expected to record a confidential statement from the victim and her parents.

The victim appeared in a city court on Saturday afternoon to provide her secret deposition.

In her complaint, the victim reported that she was threatened with a hockey stick by the accused.

Investigators also recovered a 1.5-minute video clip from a mobile phone belonging to one of the three arrested suspects — Manojit Mishra (an alumnus and ad-hoc staff), along with current students Pratim Mukherjee and Zaib Ahmed.

“A forensic analysis of the video is underway. We’re trying to determine if it was shared or deleted,” the officer said.

On Saturday morning, police arrested college security guard Pinaki Banerjee after he failed to provide coherent responses during questioning, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Saturday wrote to West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant asking him to take action in connection with the crime.

The police described their visit as ‘confidential’ and instructed me not to alert anyone.

NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar termed the crime as “grave” which has “shaken public conscience”.

This incident is not just an individual crime; it’s a blow to our collective sense of security.