Man Who Filed FIR Against Influencer Sharmistha Panoli Now Arrested for Hate Speech

Wazahat Khan had earlier filed an FIR against Sharmistha Panoli, alleging that she posted a video on Instagram containing derogatory remarks about a particular religion.

Panoli has been remanded to judicial custody until June 13.

Source : x

In a dramatic turn in the ongoing communal video controversy, Kolkata Police have arrested Wazahat Khan, the man who had earlier filed a complaint against social media influencer and law student Sharmistha Panoli. Khan has now been booked for allegedly promoting communal disharmony and hurting religious sentiments through his own social media activity.

According to officials, Khan was taken into custody on Monday evening from the Amherst Street police station. He has been booked under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including sections 196(1)(a), 299, 352, and 353(1)(c). The charges stem from a case registered at the Golf Green police station in Kolkata.

Allegations of Anti-Hindu Posts Spark Arrest

The arrest follows a complaint filed by Prasun Maitra, president of an NGO based in North 24 Parganas. Maitra accused Khan of repeatedly posting derogatory and inflammatory content targeting the Hindu community on X (formerly Twitter).

"This is to draw your attention to the following tweets (now deleted) by one Wazahat Khan Qadri Rashidi with the identity of X handle @rashidi_wazahat hurting religious sentiments of millions of Hindus across the globe," Maitra wrote in his complaint to the Kolkata Police and Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).

He added, "Your recent activism shows that you are very much against such communally instigating posts and determined to enforce the rule of law. In view of the above, you are requested to initiate appropriate legal action against the person described above, in line with your recent activities and as per the law of the land, so that your integrity doesn't come under any question."

The Sharmistha Panoli Case: A Timeline

Wazahat Khan had earlier filed an FIR against Sharmistha Panoli, alleging that she posted a video on Instagram containing derogatory remarks about a particular religion. The video was later taken down, and Panoli issued an unconditional apology. Despite this, Kolkata Police issued an arrest warrant after repeated attempts to serve her legal notice failed.

She was eventually arrested in Gurugram on Friday night and produced in Alipore Court on Saturday. Panoli has since been remanded to judicial custody until June 13.