Psychopath 'Mango' terror in Kolkata college, say juniors

KOLKATA: Monojit Mishra aka Mango, the key accused in the rape of a 24-year-old college student in Kolkata, had long exhibited psychopathic tendencies and a penchant for sexual violence, according to former classmates and juniors.

Mishra, expelled from the college's Trinamool unit in 2021, had repeatedly proposed to female students with the same line - "Tui amay biye korbi (Will you marry me)?" - including to the survivor he allegedly raped Wednesday.

A college insider alleged Saturday that Mishra often morphed photos of girls and circulated them among friends, filmed intimate moments with women and shared them, and routinely body-shamed female students. Complaints of molestation, assault, extortion, and harassment were filed against him, but no action followed.

Mishra retained access to campus buildings, manipulated college WhatsApp groups, and controlled information flow, several students said.

"This person and his aides were a terror, especially for girls. Authorities knew everything but protected him. We even filed a formal sexual harassment complaint to the teacher-in-charge, but nothing happened," a third-year college student said.

A first-year student described Mishra as wielding unchecked power: "Those attached to the union had a licence to do anything. Posting obscene jokes and photos in groups was normal. We stayed silent out of fear." Another student recounted how Mishra threatened and assaulted students who participated in last year's 'Reclaim the Night' movement in protest against the RG Kar rape-murder case.

Co-accused Promit Mukherjee alias Riju had ironically participated in protests last Aug demanding the death penalty for the accused in the RG Kar rape-murder case.

Another co-accused, Junaid, is from Howrah. His home was locked on Saturday. Neighbours expressed shock. "It's distressing to hear Junaid's name in this case," Abbas Sheikh said.