Three men have been arrested for the alleged gangrape of a student inside a law college in Kolkata, the police were quoted as saying by The Hindu on Friday.

The assault took place inside the campus of the South Calcutta Law College between 7.30 pm and 10.50 pm on Wednesday, an unidentified police officer told the newspaper.

The three men were identified as 30-year-old Manojit Mishra, 20-year-old Pramit Mukherjee and 19-year-old Zaib Ahmed, the police officer said, adding that one of them was a former student while the rest were studying at the college.

They were arrested after a first information report was filed at the Kasba Police Station based on a complaint by the woman, the newspaper reported.

Mishra and Ahmed were arrested on Thursday from the Siddhartha Shankar Sishu Roy Udyan near the Talbagan crossing, while Mukherjee was held from his residence on Friday.

All three men were produced before a court on Friday and remanded to four days of police custody, The Indian Express reported.

A medical examination of the woman was conducted at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, The Hindu reported.

Witnesses were examined and their statements recorded, the police officer told The Hindu, adding that the scene of the alleged crime was secured for pending forensic examination.

The assault comes nearly ten months after the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024. The doctor, a postgraduate student, was found in the seminar hall at the hospital.

The incident led to protests across medical colleges in the state.

BJP’s criticism

Sukanta Majumdar, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state unit chief, said that the incident showed that female students were “not safe” in educational institutes in West Bengal, PTI reported.

The law and order situation in West Bengal was “in shambles”, said the Union minister of state for education.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that a protest will be organised against the incident and called for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to resign, The Hindu reported.

Trinamool condemns assault

The ruling Trinamool Congress condemned the alleged gangrape.

“…the full weight of the law will be brought to bear, ensuring the most severe measures are imposed on those found guilty,” the party said on social media on Friday.

The Banerjee-led party said that the “tragedy once again underscores the urgent need for the implementation of the Aparajita Anti-Rape Bill to establish a strong deterrent against sexual offences, emphasising the necessity for speedy investigations, swift trials and stringent punishments”.

It added: “It is extremely unfortunate that the BJP government at the Centre has not lifted a finger to get it implemented.”

In September, the West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed the 2024 Aparajita Women and Child West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment Bill.

The bill seeks to amend sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning punishments for acid attacks, rape, rape and murder, gangrape, repeat sex offenders and the disclosure of a rape victim’s identity. It also seeks to do away with the concessions granted to juvenile sex offenders under the law.

The bill was passed amid widespread protests against the rape and murder of the doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

On September 6, Governor CV Ananda Bose sent the bill to the president for consideration.

NCW demands time-bound probe

The National Commission for Women on Friday took suo motu cognisance of the incident and said that it has directed the Kolkata Police to conduct an “immediate and time-bound probe”.

The women’s rights panel said that its chairperson, Vijaya Rahatkar, also “stressed the need to extend full medical, psychological and legal assistance to the victim, along with compensation under Section 396 of BNSS [Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita]”.

The commission has sought a detailed action-taken report within three days.