Inside the hushed courtroom of the Calcutta High Court, where the walls have heard more pleas than protests, a statement from a survivor cut through the noise — she is satisfied with the police investigation. The case, which rattled South Kolkata Law College, had been the subject of public outcry and a demand for external probes. But the survivor, through her legal representative, made it clear: the system, at least for now, is working.
The Bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De took note: “Victim’s Advocate-on-Record (AOR) has said that the victim is satisfied with the progress of the investigation so far.”
This statement came amid the hearing of public interest litigations (PILs) that had sought a court-monitored or independent probe into the brutal incident. The case involves a first-year student, allegedly raped on June 25 inside the college premises — more precisely, in the security guard room of South Calcutta Law College. A state-run hospital’s medical examination has lent credence to her testimony.
Four arrests have followed — Manojit Mishra, Promit Mukherjee, Zaid Ahmed, and a college security guard. Mishra, allegedly the primary perpetrator, is said to have political links with the youth wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress. The other two, police say, filmed the act to extort and blackmail the survivor.
During the hearing, the Court meticulously examined the case diary and a confidential report filed by the police. The judges ensured that the survivor’s counsel received a scanned copy — under strict confidentiality. “This report shall not be disclosed to anyone,” the Court warned.
But while the focus remained firmly on the survivor and the facts, one PIL — filed by a certain Vijay Kumar Singhal — took an odd detour. Though the petition demanded a CBI investigation, it suddenly shifted to concerns about the human rights of the accused. The Court was unimpressed.
“We have a serious doubt about their bona fide,” the judges remarked, promptly dismissing the petition.
As for the Kolkata Police, they’ve been asked to return with another progress report in four weeks.
For now, the Court watches. The city listens. And a young woman who refused to be silenced has — at least in this chapter — been heard.
