Kolkata: The law college in South Kolkata’s Kasba area reopened on Monday under tight police security, following a week-long shutdown after the alleged gang-rape of a 24-year-old student on campus.
The incident, which reportedly occurred on June 25 but surfaced on June 27, led to the suspension of all academic activity. Monday’s limited reopening was confined to administrative and examination-related work.
Only first-semester students of the five-year BA LLB programme were allowed entry between 10 am and 12 noon to fill up forms for their upcoming semester exams, scheduled to begin on July 16. Entry was strictly regulated, with police and college security personnel checking ID cards. Senior Kolkata Police officials visited the campus during the day to oversee arrangements.
Many students arrived accompanied by visibly anxious parents. “We never expected this. Everything seemed normal earlier,” said the mother of a first-year female student. “Now we’re scared. I urge the college to strengthen safety measures.”
She also said she had interacted several times with Monojit Mishra, the now-dismissed temporary staff and main accused in the case. “We knew him as college staff. Since we live far away, we often communicated through the college WhatsApp group about form fill-ups. Mishra would reply on behalf of the college.”
Students said many classmates were still hesitant to return. “My female friends told me they were afraid to come to college,” said Soumyadip Mondal, a student. “But with exams ahead, we can’t afford to miss deadlines.”
The college reopened following clearance from the joint commissioner of police and approval from the Governing Body. It will function from 8 am to 2 pm daily, after which all staff must vacate the premises.
Postgraduate LLM classes will resume from Tuesday. No date has been announced yet for undergraduate class resumption. Internal project submission schedules have been issued for fourth, sixth, and eighth-semester students.
Meanwhile, questions have arisen about vice-principal Nayna Chatterji’s presence on the day of the incident. Though she earlier claimed to have entered around 9:50 am and left by 10 am for a syllabus committee meeting at Calcutta University, the attendance register shows both her entry and exit recorded at 9:50, without clarifying whether it was morning or evening. Moreover, unlike other days when she would reportedly note “CU” and “syllabus committee” beside her signature, no such remark appears next to her entry on June 25. However, Chatterji declined to comment on the discrepancy.