Latest news with #ReleaseSharmistha
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kolkata Police defend arrest of influencer over ‘hate speech'
Kolkata Police have defended the arrest of social media influencer and law student Sharmistha Panoli, stating that the posts made by her amounted to 'hate speech' and should not be conflated with freedom of expression. The arrest has sparked political outrage, with the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led government of 'state-sponsored repression'. BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia termed the arrest 'shameful'. 'Mamata Banerjee's police travelled nearly 1,500 kilometres from Kolkata to arrest law student Sharmistha Panoli – just because she had expressed her opinion, for which she had publicly apologised!' he wrote in a post on social media platform X. Some social media accounts are spreading false information that Kolkata Police has unlawfully arrested a law student for opposing Pakistan. This narrative is mischievous and misleading. Expressing national pride and patriotism is a thing that every citizen and organisation… — Kolkata Police (@KolkataPolice) June 1, 2025 Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, also voiced his support for Ms. Panoli, alleging that punitive action in the State is selectively directed 'only against Sanatani Hindus'. Online campaigns under hashtags such as #ReleaseSharmistha and #FreeSharmistha have gained traction, with supporters questioning the legality of Kolkata Police's action in arresting a woman residing in Gurugram, and the role of Haryana Police in the process. According to the police, Ms. Panoli, a resident of the Anandapur area in Kolkata, had been absconding since an FIR was registered against her at Garden Reach Police Station on May 15. She was arrested from Gurugram on May 30. In a statement issued on Sunday, Kolkata Police said that 'multiple accounts on social media are spreading misinformation' by portraying the arrest as unlawful. They asserted that the arrest was not linked to her 'opposing Pakistan', but rather due to a video 'insulting to the religious belief of a class of citizens of India' and one that promoted 'disharmony and hatred between different communities'. The case pertains to a video Ms. Panoli shared on social media following the recent Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives. In the video, she made remarks deemed anti-Islamic and used offensive language while referring to Pakistan, also making unsubstantiated claims about 'Operation Sindoor'. She later issued an apology on May 15, the day the FIR was lodged. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said on Monday, June 2, 'This is a complete provocation, a deliberate trap. Such poisonous instigation is feared to have a very bad impact on the public. Therefore, there is no comparison with this post. Hence, according to the law, police action has been taken.' Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Panoli's lawyer, Mohammad Shamim, said, 'She is in judicial custody till June 13. Her bail plea was rejected because the court said that the investigation is still at a nascent stage and they wanted to give time to the officers to investigate the matter.'
India.com
4 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Don't Punish Her For Speaking Truth…: Dutch MP Geert Wilders Backs Arrested Influencer With All Eyes On Sharmishtha Poster
After the influencer Sharmishta Panoli was arrested by Kolkata Police, Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders showed support and shared an 'All Eyes On Sharmishtha' Poster on the social media platform X. The 22-year-old Indian law student was arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her social media posts. In the post, the Dutch MP wrote, "Free the brave Sharmishta Panoli!" He added that it is "a disgrace for the freedom of speech" that she was arrested. "Don't punish her for speaking the truth about Pakistan and Muhammad," Wilders wrote. Free the brave Sharmishta Panoli! It's a disgrace for the freedom of speech that she was arrested. Don't punish her for speaking the truth about Pakistan and Muhammad. Help her @narendramodi! @AmyMek #Sharmishta#IStandwithSharmishta #ReleaseSharmistha #FreeSharmishta — Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) May 31, 2025 Sharmishta Panoli's Arrest Sharmishta Panoli was arrested on Saturday in Kolkata for posting videos containing communal remarks during Operation Sindoor. The Indian Armed Forces' Operation Sindoor was launched during the wee hours of May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). These steps came after the gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam in which 26 individuals were killed. According to IANS, the FIR filed against her includes charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for promoting enmity on religious grounds, deliberately outraging religious feelings, and provoking a breach of peace. Despite deleting the video and issuing a public apology, Panoli was produced in court and sent to 14-day judicial custody. Political Backlash Sharmishta Panoli's arrest has triggered a political backlash. West Bengal BJP Chief and Union Minister of State, Sukanta Majumdar, called her arrest "vote-bank vendetta." In a post on X, he wrote, "No riots. No unrest. Yet Mamata Banerjee's police acted overnight — not for justice, but for appeasement." "But when TMC leaders insult Sanatan Dharma, call Jai Shri Ram a gaali, mock Maha Kumbh, and push communal poison — there's no FIR, no arrest, no apology," he added. On the other hand, Congress leader and MP Karti P. Chidambaram also condemned the arrest and called it a 'blatant misuse of police powers'.
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
‘All Eyes On Sharmishta': Student, Arrested By Kolkata Police, Gets Dutch Leader's Support
Last Updated: Sharmishta Panoli was arrested by Kolkata Police for allegedly making communal remarks on social media. She has now received support from a Dutch leader. Sharmishta Panoli, a 22-year-old Pune law student, who was arrested by Kolkata Police for alleged communal remarks on social media despite her unconditional apology, has received support from a far-right Dutch leader. Geert Wilders, an MP in the Dutch Parliament, who leads the right-wing Party for Freedom, described her arrest as a 'disgrace for the freedom of speech", and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help her out of jail. 'Free the brave Sharmishta Panoli! It's a disgrace for the freedom of speech that she was arrested. Don't punish her for speaking the truth about Pakistan and Muhammad. Help her @narendramodi!" Wilders posted on X, sharing a picture of the arrested influencer, on which 'All Eyes On Sharmistha" was written. Free the brave Sharmishta Panoli!It's a disgrace for the freedom of speech that she was arrested. Don't punish her for speaking the truth about Pakistan and Muhammad. Help her @narendramodi! @AmyMek #Sharmishta #IStandwithSharmishta #ReleaseSharmistha #FreeSharmishta — Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) May 31, 2025 Panoli was arrested by Kolkata Police yesterday for posting videos on social media, wherein she used strong language and alleged communal remarks. The student also criticised Bollywood actors for keeping mum during Operation Sindoor, while the nation backed the armed forces after the Pahalgam terror attack. She was arrested based on the FIR filed against her at a police station in Kolkata. The FIR alleged that she promoted enmity and hurt religious sentiments with her remarks in a video, which she deleted later, and apologised for. Political Row Erupts Over Arrest A political controversy has erupted over the arrest by Kolkata Police of a Panoli on charges of making offensive remarks on Operation Sindoor and allegedly passing communal statements on social media. The Bharatiya Janata Party lashed out at Mamata Banerjee's police for their action, in which they travelled all the way to Gurugram to make the arrest within hours of the FIR, despite her unconditional apology and removal of the video. The BJP questioned the lack of action by the West Bengal Police in complaints against TMC leaders for their alleged provocative remarks for the Hindu community. 'Sharmistha Panoli, just 22 years old, has been arrested and sent to 14-day judicial custody over a video she had already deleted and publicly apologised for on May 15. There have been no reports of communal unrest linked to her remarks, yet the Kolkata Police is acting with uncharacteristic haste. This is no longer about law and order — it is about selective enforcement," BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted on X. Alleging that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made 'far more divisive statements, which have had far-reaching consequences, including tragic loss of life and destruction of property on multiple occasions", Malviya questioned if law will be applied to her 'with the same urgency". 'India is watching. This isn't just a case in West Bengal — it reflects how a young Hindu woman is being targeted to appease a vote bank. Justice must not be politically convenient," he said. West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari said that the 'nationalist lawyers" will take up her case. 'DG @WBPolice where have you locked up your spine when Anubrata Mondal threatens your subordinate's wife and mother with rape? I would like to assure everyone that the Nationalist Lawyers are taking up Sharmistha's matter and the best legal defense will be provided to her, and I hope that she will be free from the clutches of the vile & vicious Mamata Police," he said.
