Two days after Monojit Mishra, the prime accused in the alleged gang-rape of a 24-year-old student inside South Calcutta Law College, was arrested, his father—a priest from Kalighat—broke his silence, expressing shame and heartbreak over the charges.
Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone, the father, whose name is withheld on request, said, “We stay in a 6 x 8 ft room. We worked so hard and rose from the lower strata of society to make him a lawyer. It is hard to believe that my son has done it.”
He added, “He is my son. I worked very hard to make him a lawyer. But I must say, if the judiciary, after seeing all the evidence, finds him to be guilty, he should be given the toughest punishment. I will accept it with my head bowed.”
Monojit Mishra, 31, was arrested along with three others in connection with the alleged gang-rape case. A former member and leader of the Trinamool Congress’s student wing at the college, Mishra reportedly enjoyed considerable influence on campus. While political outrage continues to mount, the TMC has claimed Mishra no longer holds any association with the party.
When asked whether he would pursue a legal battle for his son, the father responded: “I will not pursue the case or fight a legal battle. Frankly, I cannot afford it. As a father, one’s duty is to do everything to see his son become something. What more can a father do? Then this happens.”
He also revealed that he has been estranged from his son for over five years. “We have not had any communication for the last five-six years. He is so busy. I live on my own money. Sometimes clients come enquiring about him, and I tell them this is not his chamber. Since this is his permanent address, his ATM cards and other things come. He collects it,” he said.
Reflecting on his son’s campus life, the father noted that Monojit always enjoyed popularity among students. “He loved being called ‘Dada Dada’ in college. He liked it when students ran behind him, enjoyed felicitations. I always wanted him to be a big lawyer. Now see what happened. Now, wherever I go, I fear people will point fingers at me.”
According to him, Mishra had been a supporter of the Trinamool Congress since school and rose to prominence in college politics. “There was so much factionalism in the TMC in his college. There were cases and counter-cases… which is normal in college politics,” he said.
The investigation into the gang-rape case continues, with all four arrested accused remanded in police custody. The incident has sparked political and public outrage, raising serious questions about campus safety and political influence in educational institutions.