Complainant against influencer Sharmistha Panoli arrested in Kolkata

Wajahat Khan, who filed the complaint against Sharmistha Panoli, was arrested in Kolkata after allegedly absconding since 1 June following counter-allegations against him

Wajahat Khan, the man who filed the police complaint that led to the arrest of social media influencer and law student Sharmistha Panoli, was arrested in Kolkata on Monday after allegedly being on the run since 1 June.

 

Panoli was arrested in Gurugram on 30 May in connection with a hate speech case and was granted bail by the Calcutta High Court on 5 June. She was released from Alipore Women’s Correctional Home on 6 June.

 

Who is Wajahat Khan?

 

Khan had lodged the initial complaint against Panoli, citing hate speech. Following that, he allegedly went into hiding with his father. On 2 June, a formal complaint was filed against him by the Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad, accusing him of using derogatory, inflammatory, and sexually explicit language aimed at Hindu deities, religious practices, and the community at large.

 

Who is Sharmistha Panoli?

 

Sharmistha Panoli is a social media influencer and a law student at Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Following her arrest, the institution suspended her for three months. 

 

What is the case against Sharmistha Panoli?

 

Panoli had posted a video on social media making communal remarks and referring to Operation Sindoor. The video drew criticism and led to a police complaint on 15 May at the Garden Reach police station in Kolkata. The Kolkata Police classified the content as hate speech and filed a case against her.

 

Later the same day, she deleted the video and issued an unconditional public apology for her remarks.

 

TMC vs BJP in the Panoli case

 

The case has taken on a political dimension in West Bengal. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of appeasement politics, alleging bias in the police action.

 

Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari posted on X, calling Panoli’s arrest a case of “police atrocities”. He wrote, “This is a case of police atrocities as an innocent young lady, for using her freedom of speech and expression, has been illegally arrested by the Kolkata Police and was sent to judicial custody. This is yet another example of police overzealousness and eagerness to please their political masters.”

 

BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul echoed these sentiments, claiming that the police were shielding Wajahat Khan due to “Muslim appeasement”.

 

In response, Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Riju Datta defended the police action, stating that the Kolkata Police was acting on a court warrant.

 

He also issued a warning to young social media users and their families, saying: “Do not get influenced by the RW cabal run by BJP IT Cell… they will earn their salary hiding behind a cellphone but your children’s lives will be spoiled forever.”