Kolkata, 05 June (H.S.):

Wazahat Khan, who had filed the complaint leading to the arrest of social media influencer and law student Sharmistha Panoli, now finds himself on the wrong side of the law. He is facing serious charges for allegedly posting inflammatory and religiously offensive content on social media.

A five-member team from the Assam Police arrived in Kolkata late on Wednesday night to arrest Khan from his residence. However, he was not found at home. According to sources, Khan has been missing since Sunday afternoon. The police also summoned his father, Saadat Khan, for questioning, but he too was reportedly not present at the residence.

An FIR has been lodged against Wazahat Khan by Assam Police for allegedly uploading “provocative” and “objectionable” posts that could incite communal tension. His posts reportedly targeted Hindu deities and revered temples including the Kamakhya temple and insulted religious sentiments across India. Separately, in Kolkata, an NGO named ‘Shri Ram Swabhiman Parishad’ filed a complaint against Khan, based on which a separate case has been registered at Garden Reach Police Station.

Kolkata Police had summoned Khan twice this week, on Monday and Tuesday, for questioning. However, he failed to appear on both occasions. Authorities have now confirmed that Khan is “absconding” and search operations are ongoing.

Khan, who heads the ‘Rashidi Foundation’, was the complainant in the case against 22-year-old Sharmistha Panoli. She was arrested last week from Gurugram after being accused of hurting religious sentiments through a video posted on Instagram. In the video, Panoli had criticized Bollywood celebrities for their silence on ‘Operation Sindoor’, a campaign related to religious issues.

Her arrest sparked political controversy, with BJP leaders accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led government of “selective action.” Sharmistha’s lawyer, Mohammad Shamimuddin, questioned the legality of the arrest, calling it a “violation of due process” and a “hasty move.”

The case has now drawn international attention. Dutch MP Geert Wilders condemned Sharmistha’s arrest as an “attack on freedom of expression” and urged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh