Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has drawn sharp criticism for his comments on the gang-rape of a first-year law student at South Calcutta Law College. His remarks, perceived as dismissive and lacking institutional accountability, have triggered a fierce political backlash from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
Speaking to reporters about the incident, Kalyan Banerjee, MP from Sreerampur, said, "What can be done if a friend rapes his friend? Will the police be in schools? This was done by students to another student. Who will protect her?”
“Who does all this criminality and molestation? Some men do it. So, who should women fight against? Women should fight against these perverted men," he added.
The BJP condemned the comments as “disgraceful”, accusing Banerjee of trivialising the crime and deflecting responsibility. His refusal to address allegations linking the main accused to the TMC’s student wing further fuelled criticism. “I am saying the same thing again and again. Whoever has done it must be arrested immediately. But if a friend rapes a friend, how can that be corruption?” Sreerampore MP said.
The remarks come amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged gang-rape of a student inside the college campus in Kolkata’s Kasba area on Wednesday evening. According to the survivor’s police complaint, she was lured into a guard’s room adjacent to the student union office by three men, Monojit Mishra, a 31-year-old former student and practising criminal lawyer, and two current students, Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20).
In her statement, the survivor said she was locked in the room, physically assaulted, and sexually assaulted by Mishra while the other two stood by and assisted. She also alleged being denied an inhaler during a panic attack and threatened with death if she reported the incident.
Medical examinations corroborated her claims, revealing evidence of forced penetration, bite marks, scratches, and other signs of physical assault.
All three accused have been arrested and remanded to police custody for four days. Their mobile phones have been seized and are being examined for possible video recordings, as the survivor alleged the incident was filmed.
The political dimension of the case deepened after the survivor identified Mishra as having ties to the ruling TMC. “He is an ex-student and unofficial head of the college TMCP unit. Everyone listened to him,” her statement read.
Photographs have since surfaced showing Mishra with senior Trinamool leaders, including TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
The BJP seized on this to accuse the ruling party of shielding perpetrators. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari called for state-wide protests and condemned Banerjee’s statements. “TMC MP comes out in support of rapists! In Kasba, a college student has been gang-raped by a TMCP leader and his gang. But TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee calls women's safety concerns a mere ‘political agenda’,” the BJP said in a statement.
“So the police can hold umbrellas for TMC leaders and Mamata Banerjee, but not protect women? This disgraceful attitude is why women in Bengal feel abandoned, unsafe, and unheard,” the statement added.
Bengal Women and Child Development Minister Dr Shashi Panja addressed the media, distancing the party from the accused. “We don’t want to politicise the pain of a woman. The police have acted. The accused will not be spared, irrespective of affiliation," she said.
Dr Panja further accused the BJP of blocking the Aparajita Bill, a state assembly-passed legislation recommending the death penalty for rape at the national level. “Don’t talk about respect for women while blocking legislation meant to protect them,” she said.
Trinankur Bhattacharya, state president of the Trinamool’s student wing TMCP, also clarified that the South Calcutta Law College unit had been inactive since 2019. “He held a position in 2019. How were we expected to know what he would do in 2025? Were we supposed to be fortune tellers?”he asked.
“He was not part of any committees in 2022 or 2023. He is not part of any committees now. But which party he belongs to is not important. He is a rapist, he should face justice,”Bhattacharya added.
