The recent rape case at South Kolkata Law College on Wednesday, 25th June, not only triggered public outrage, but also revealing deep cracks within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has occurred. A first-year law student was raped by Monojit Mishra, a TMC student wing leader, in the guard room of the college.
As events in the case went on, rather than stand together, top TMC leaders turned against themselves, with provocative statements, social media cold-shoulders, and a long-standing rancour breaking out. The incident that ought to have led to soul-searching has now led the party into a new bout of internal clashes, months before the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls.
TMC student leader accused of heinous crime
The main accused, Monojit Mishra, is not only any ordinary student — he is a well-known leader of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), TMC’s student wing, and has alleged connections with a few top party leaders, including ministers Firhad Hakim and Abhishek Banerjee. The survivor, in her complaint, has stated she was raped within the guard room after being induced by the accused and threatened using videos.
Three people were also arrested in the case, two of whom are present students and the security guard at the college. The medical report had proved the assault. The political involvement of a prominent figure has attracted severe criticism from the opposition parties and the public.
Controversial remarks by senior TMC leaders
In the first reaction after the incident, top leaders Kalyan Banerjee (TMC MP from Sreerampur) and Madan Mitra (MLA) had made statements that seemed to downplay the crime. Banerjee asked, “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 (victim)?”
Mitra further added on Saturday, 28th June, “Who does all this criminality and molestation? Some men do it. So, who should women fight against? Women should fight against these perverted men.” Their comments drew immense backlash on social media, with many accusing the leaders of victim-blaming and normalising sexual violence.
TMC forced to distance itself from party veterans
In the face of growing criticism, TMC’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle shared a statement distancing the party from Banerjee and Mitra’s remarks. It stated:
“The observations of MP Kalyan Banerjee and MLA Madan Mitra regarding the barbaric crime at South Calcutta Law College have been made in their official capacities. The party strongly condemns and completely distances itself from their observations. These are not the views of the party in any way at all.”
TMC reaffirmed its support for justice for the survivor and announced “zero tolerance” for atrocities against women. But the harm was done.
Mahua Moitra hits back, rekindles old rivalry
TMC MP Mahua Moitra responded promptly, targeting the senior leadership of her party for their insensitive comments. Posting her party’s dissociation message, she said, “Misogyny in India crosses party lines. What’s distinct about @AITCofficial is that we deplore these repulsive remarks regardless of who says them.”
Her reply rekindled her old feud with Kalyan Banerjee. A few months back, leaked WhatsApp conversations of a TMC group showed serious internal fissures. Banerjee, at the time speaking to the media, had stated, “Only because a woman is beautiful and can speak fluent English, it doesn’t mean that she can insult men.” He also called Moitra and other female MPs “savages,” implying they were besmirching the party’s reputation.
Kalyan Banerjee fires back at TMC leadership, Mahua
After the official statement of the party, Kalyan Banerjee defended his statement on social media and fired back at the leadership. Shared a post on X.
He went on to accuse certain leaders who emerged within the party post-2011 of being themselves under scrutiny for the same offences. Naming none, Banerjee alluded to a more entrenched decay within the party and preferred to distance himself from the leaders who were “encouraging or shielding criminals.”
He also made personal attack on Mahua Moitra over her recent marriage with Pinaki Misra. He said, “Mahua has come back to India after her honeymoon and started fighting with me! She accuses me of being anti-woman. What is she? She has broken up a 40-year marriage and married a guy who is 65 years old. Did she not hurt the lady?”.
Kalyan Banerjee further said, “An MP who was expelled from parliament for breach of ethics is preaching me! She is the most anti-woman. She only knows how to secure her future and how to make money.”
He further claimed that he was stopped from campaigning in recently concluded Kaliganj bye-elections as Mahua Moitra had asked MLAs to prevent him from entering the constituency. He said, “I was told if I go for the campaign she will make sure our candidate does not win. Hence I told party chairperson that winning is more important.”
Not the first public spat within TMC
This is the third time that internal rifts have spilt into the open. A few months back, WhatsApp messages between top party leaders had gone viral, with MPs such as Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra hurling abuses at each other. The feud had brought out generational and ideological faultlines in the party.
In December 2023, “missing” posters announcing Abhishek Banerjee had been fixed in sections of Kolkata — an action supposedly attributed to factional battles between Kunal Ghosh and veterans leader Sougata Roy. The incidents mirror the continuing infighting that has tormented the Trinamool Congress in the past few years.
Increasing public anger and political consequences
The gang-rape case has raged like a firestorm in West Bengal and elsewhere. It is criticised as showing how unsafe it is for women in institutions of education and how free from accountability politically influential people feel. That the student wing leader of a party is involved has also further inflamed public ire.
Rather than coalescing behind the survivor and demanding accountability, the TMC leaders are kept busy dodging blame and settling intra-party scores. The credibility of the party is being undermined, particularly with regard to women’s security and party discipline.
Infighting ahead of 2026 Assembly Elections
The timing of the scandal couldn’t be worse for TMC. With the approach of the 2026 West Bengal Vidhan Sabha elections, the party is already battling a robust challenge from the BJP, which has been making political capital on law and order issues. The rape case — against one of TMC’s student leaders — has provided the opposition with new ammunition.
The episode has not only sent alarm bells ringing for women’s safety under Mamata Banerjee’s rule but also exposed the ugly internal conflict that has been weakening the party’s solidarity. Though Mamata Banerjee has so far not made a public statement on the issue, the silence is being read by many as insensitivity.
The South Kolkata Law College gang-rape case has turned into a crime report — it has become a political hot issue, revealing TMC’s internal divisions, leadership vacuum, and inability to keep party cadres in check. The exchange of words between top brass leaders, the slowness of the party to react, and Mahua Moitra’s biting criticism reflect a party in disarray.
