Twelve years of terror: How a Kolkata law college rapist was shielded by silence and power

For over a decade, Manojit Misra roamed freely through the corridors of a prestigious Kolkata law college — not as a student of the law, but as its repeated violator. With at least five serious cases against him, including attempted murder, extortion, molestation, and sexual assault, Misra’s name became synonymous with fear, yet not once was he permanently held accountable. Until now.

The 2025 gang-rape of a female student — allegedly drugged, filmed, assaulted with a hockey stick, and blackmailed — has torn the lid off years of unchecked crimes, institutional complicity, and alleged political patronage that enabled Misra’s reign.

A criminal trail, uninterrupted

Misra’s first reported offense dates back to 2013, just a year into his college life. He allegedly stabbed a fellow student in the chest. An FIR was lodged, but Misra vanished — evading arrest for nearly three years. He resurfaced in 2017, and despite fresh allegations of vandalism and multiple subsequent cases — ranging from molestation to wrongful confinement — the police failed to arrest or convict him.

“He was a known repeat offender. Even in 2018, there was a criminal case at Kalighat police station. Still, he kept coming back,” said a former batchmate.

A return backed by political muscle

Though he graduated in 2021, Misra never truly left the campus. Sources reveal that he was appointed as a temporary staffer on the recommendation of the college’s general body, chaired by Trinamool Congress MLA Ashok Deb. He used this position — and his association with the TMC’s student wing — to maintain influence and access to students.

“He practically lived in the union office,” a college insider revealed. Students allege that Misra, along with his gang, would morph girls’ photos, circulate them in groups, and routinely record videos to harass and intimidate.

In May this year, Misra allegedly lured a female student, drugged her, gang-raped her, and threatened to destroy her and her boyfriend’s lives if she spoke out.

Warnings ignored, justice delayed

A senior Kolkata Police officer admitted that Misra had multiple FIRs against him over the years. But arrests — when they happened — led only to quick bail. Students recall a 2022 complaint by a first-year student involving sexual harassment and threats. Like the others, it went nowhere.

Police officials now claim that Misra was “probably last arrested in March or April” in a separate case, but he was again released on bail. They cited complications of group fights, counter-complaints, and procedural delays. But insiders say the pattern was deliberate: file, forget, and protect.

A system that enabled a predator

The latest assault has reignited political outrage. The Bharatiya Janata Party accused the ruling party and police of “nurturing a monster.”

“For 12 years, this man destroyed lives with impunity, aided by a system that looked the other way — or worse, walked alongside him,” the party said in a statement. “Misra is not just an individual failure. He is a chilling example of what political protection and police apathy can breed.”

What now?

The college administration, under fire for hiring Misra despite his criminal past, maintains he was brought in only on the general body’s recommendation. The TMC, meanwhile, has distanced itself from Misra, noting that he was ousted from the party’s student wing in 2021 — though his continued influence suggests otherwise.

With the case now under widespread media and political scrutiny, students and rights groups are demanding more than arrest. They want accountability — from the college, the police, and the politicians who allegedly enabled Misra’s unchecked rise.

“It’s not just about what he did,” said a student. “It’s about how everyone let him.”