Kolkata, 3 June (H.S.) : The arrest of law student and Instagram influencer Sharmistha Panoli by Kolkata Police has sparked widespread criticism, with many accusing the force of acting in a biased manner. Panoli was arrested over a video allegedly targeting a religious community, but the man who filed the complaint against her – Wajahat Khan – is himself facing multiple complaints for inflammatory posts against the Hindu community.
Khan, who is said to be the co-founder of the Rashidi Foundation and a former student of Kolkata’s St. Thomas’ School, has reportedly posted provocative content mocking Hindu deities, temples, and traditions on social media. Despite this, no significant action has been taken against him, raising serious questions about selective enforcement by the police.
According to sources, at least seven formal complaints had been lodged against Khan by Monday night. These complaints, many of which include screenshots of the alleged posts, accuse him of inciting communal disharmony and making derogatory remarks about Hindu beliefs. The complaints have been submitted to Kolkata Police’s Cyber Cell at Lalbazar and other police stations across the city.
One of the complainants, Prasun Maitra, who runs an NGO, questioned the apparent double standards: “If the police could move swiftly against an influencer, why is there silence when someone with a history of provocative posts is involved?”
Panoli, 22, was arrested on May 30 from Gurugram after a complaint was filed by Khan. She had earlier posted a video related to the ‘Operation Sindoor’ campaign, criticizing the silence of Muslim artists. The video was accused of containing communal overtones, prompting Khan to lodge a complaint under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Despite deleting the video on May 15 and issuing a public apology, Panoli was arrested and remanded to judicial custody until June 13. Her lawyer has since filed a petition in court, highlighting poor sanitary and health conditions in jail.
Meanwhile, Khan has come under growing scrutiny. Following Panoli’s arrest, he locked his social media accounts and deleted several old posts, some of which had been flagged in complaints filed in cities including Guwahati and Delhi. One of the complainants, the Shri Ram Swabhiman Parishad, has accused him of disrupting social harmony and attempting to provoke communal tension.
The Kolkata Police headquarters has so far declined to comment on the matter, even as public outrage continues to grow over what is being perceived as selective and politically influenced policing.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
