Latest news with #anti-Islamic
The Hindu
4 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.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NHS surgeon who compared Islam to Nazism struck off
An NHS surgeon, who claimed he had been discriminated against at work, has been struck off for anti-Islamic posts comparing the religion to Nazism. Dr Keyur Buch also shared a post on X that claimed '99.8 per cent of terrorists across the world are Muslims'. The surgeon, currently based in Ahmedabad, India, was initially suspended from the register for just four months over the 'racially and religiously hostile' posts. A review panel has now found that the surgeon had 'persistently failed' to show insight into his actions and decided to strike Dr Buch from the General Medical Council (GMC) register. The medical practitioners tribunal reviewing his case heard that Dr Buch qualified in India in 1987 before moving to the UK in 1995. He left the country in 2016 but has remained on the GMC register. In July 2022 he gave an interview to a UK-based Asian newspaper alleging that a colleague had once told him he would 'never hire a brown person' and that the NHS was 'institutionally racist'. He was first reported for his 'hostile' posts in September 2022 by a fellow doctor and two members of the public, shortly after they were published. Dr Buch was initially suspended for four months following a hearing in 2023. The suspension was then extended by a further 12 months in April 2024. The review panel has now decided to strike Dr Buch off entirely, saying: 'A sanction of erasure was the only sanction that would address Dr Buch's persistent failure to demonstrate insight. 'The tribunal was satisfied that there was a lack of meaningful engagement from Dr Buch, and he had failed to demonstrate adequate development of insight or any remediation in the 16 months since he was suspended.' The 2023 hearing was told that the medical professional had made several inappropriate posts on an X account under the name 'Dr Keyur Buch | Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon'. In one of his posts he said: 'Just like Nazism and Communism, I5lam is a supremacist violent cult that needs to be got rid of because it harms Mu5lims and nonMus1ims alike.' Dr Buch also used the hashtag '#IslamIsTheProblem', linked 'Muslim schools' with 'Islamic terrorists' and referred to the Prophet Muhammad as 'MohMad'. In another post the surgeon claimed there was an 'invasion' of Pakistani Muslims on Hindus in the UK. Screenshots of his social media posts were sent to the GMC by a doctor and two members of the public who said they 'incited hate towards Muslims'. Dr Buch told the tribunal he 'acknowledged the upset and hurt caused' by his posts and claimed they were 'provoked' by the Leicester riots taking place at the time. He said the unrest between British Muslims and Hindus in the Midlands city, sparked by a cricket match, was 'personal' because a temple he used to visit in Leicester was attacked. He also said his account had been 'hacked' and the posts were written by others. The 2023 panel found the 'offensive nature' of the surgeon's statements had 'undermined' the integrity of doctors. They suggested he could assist future reviews by showing that he had taken steps to 'better understand' equality and diversity. The panel said: 'The offensive nature of Dr Buch's social media posts, irrespective of whether he felt at the time that they were provoked by emotive national events, were made to a significant audience and could be directly linked to his profession as an orthopaedic surgeon. 'Doctors, in all aspects of their lives, are expected to act with integrity to ensure that public trust in the medical profession is maintained. 'Dr Buch's actions undermined that.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Kolkata Police arrests social media influencer for making communal remarks on Operation Sindoor, Pahalgam attacks
A social media influencer was arrested by the Kolkata Police on Friday (May 30, 2025) for posting communal statements on social media. An uproar started on social media, and many said that her arrest was unlawful. In response, the police on Saturday (May 31, 2025) clarified that the social media claims of an unlawful arrest of a law student are factually incorrect; all legal procedures were followed, including a court-issued warrant. This comes after a woman named Sharmistha Panoli, a 22-year-old law student in Pune made a video on social media sharing anti-Islamic comments and used verbal slurs while talking about Pakistan in relation to the recent Pahalgam attack which took the life of 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir. The video shows her making claims about 'Operation Sindoor' without due proof. Reportedly, a case was registered against Ms. Panoli at the Garden Reach Police station in Kolkata on May 15. She was arrested on Friday (May 30, 2025) from Gurugram, Haryana, by the Kolkata Police. Ms. Panoli later deleted her post from her social media handle and apologised for her comments. 'I do hereby tender my UNCONDITIONAL APOLOGY whatever was put are my personal feelings and i never intentionally wanted to hurt anybody so if anybody is hurt, I'm sorry for the same. I expect co-operation and understanding. Henceforth, i will be cautious in my public post,' Ms Panoli said on a social media post on May 15. In reference to Garden Reach Police Station Case No. 136 dated 15.05.2025, certain social media narratives suggesting an unlawful arrest of a law student are factually incorrect and misleading. All legal procedures were duly adhered to. All attempts were made to serve notice,… — Kolkata Police (@KolkataPolice) May 31, 2025 After her arrest, multiple social media handles called it 'unlawful' and claimed that the police were being 'selective' and 'bias'. Many called for her release and started a hashtag campaign '#ReleaseSharmistha' and 'FreeSharmistha'. 'All attempts were made to serve notice, but she was found absconding on every occasion. Consequently, a warrant of arrest was issued by the competent court, following which she was apprehended lawfully from Gurgaon. She was thereafter produced before the appropriate magistrate and granted transit remand as per due process of law,' Kolkata Police officials said in an official clarification. The police also urged the public to stay away from sharing unverified and speculative content and only post authentic sources of information on social media to curtail the spread of misinformation and hatred. Many on social media have also come out in support of the Kolkata Police and said that as civil servants they are doing their job and working as per a registered case and a court warrant. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari came out in support of Ms. Panoli and said that many FIRs have been filed against multiple Trinamool Congress leaders for making communal comments, but no action has been taken by the police. 'Here action is only taken on people who are Sanatanis. They have a license for abusing Sanatanis here. Trinamool is doing appeasement politics. They are trying to satisfy a specific community, which is their vote bank,' Mr. Adhikari further added. The LoP said that 200 FIRs were registered against Trinamool Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra for talking lowly about Goddess Kali, but no action was taken against her.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man admits making threatening anti-Islamic and racist social media posts
A MAN from the West Midlands has admitted to two offences after posting threatening messages on social media that featured weapons. Richard Britton pleaded guilty to two counts of publishing or distributing threatening, abusive or insulting material between February and March 2023. Staffordshire police said Britton displayed anti-Islamic, racist and anti-immigration sentiments and used threatening language on his social media account. He also shared images of weapons online and encouraged others to do the same, with the account he used to make these posts being later suspended by Twitter. The 31-year-old was arrested during a pre-planned operation on 26 April 2023, and following a search of his address, weapons were recovered which matched those featured in his social media posts. Britton initially denied the offences, but he entered guilty pleas at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday (21 May). He will be sentenced on 25 July. Detective Superintendent Annie Miller, from Counter Terrorism Policing in the West Midlands who investigated, said: 'When we searched Britton's address following his arrest, we found machetes, fireworks and material matching the images he'd posted online. 'Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the wider West Midlands area."
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indian professor who was jailed for comments on women military officer is released on bail
By Tanvi Mehta NEW DELHI (Reuters) -A professor who was jailed after making comments perceived as critical of women officers in the Indian army was ordered released on bail by the country's top court on Wednesday, his lawyer said. The Supreme Court also placed restrictions on Ali Khan Mahmudabad's ability to comment on the case and on his social media posts, pending further investigation, lawyer Mohammad Nizamuddin Pasha told Reuters. Mahmudabad, head of the political science department at Ashoka University near Delhi, was arrested on Sunday after his remarks about two women army officers. The two, one Hindu and one Muslim, gave press briefings during the intense fighting earlier this month between India and Pakistan. Mahmudabad has been accused of disrupting communal (religious) harmony and of using words or gestures intended to insult a woman's modesty, website Live Law reported. The Commission for Women in the northern state of Haryana, where the university is located, complained that Mahmudabad's remarks undermined women officers and were an "attempt to vilify national military actions", according to local media. "The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings are important, but optics must translate to reality on the ground, otherwise it's just hypocrisy," Mahmudabad said in a social media post on May 8. "The grassroots reality that common Muslims face (in India) is different from what the government tried to show but at the same time the press conference shows that an India, united in its diversity, is not completely dead as an idea," added the professor, who is Muslim. Muslims and rights groups have accused some members of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and affiliates of promoting anti-Islamic hate speech and vigilantism, and demolishing Muslim-owned properties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi denies religious discrimination exists in India. The fighting between the South Asian neighbours erupted after India attacked what it called terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan following an April 22 attack by Islamist militants in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people. Pakistan said civilians sites were targeted and the Indian attack was followed by days of intense fighting, until a ceasefire was announced between the arch rivals on May 10. Prior to his arrest, Mahmudabad said that his legal team responded to a summons by the commission, which "failed to highlight how my post is contrary to the rights of or laws of women". "We are committed to making the women feel safe and validated in all their endeavours be it academic or on the borders of this great nation," Renu Bhatia, chairperson of the Haryana State Commission for Women said on X last week. Ashoka University said in a statement it was heartened with the news of Mahmudabad's bail, ANI news agency reported. Reuters has a minority stake in ANI. Local media had reported the university had earlier distanced itself from the professor's comments, saying they were made in his personal capacity, but that a group of faculty members and students stood by the professor.
