New Delhi: The arrest of a 22-year-old law student and influencer Sharmistha Panoli for "communally charged" social media posts has drawn international attention after Dutch MP Geert Wilders condemned the move and called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene.
The incident has also triggered a fresh round of political sparring between the BJP and the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal.
Wilders, a far-right Dutch politician and leader of the Party for Freedom, posted on X (formerly Twitter), “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.” The image accompanying the post read, “All eyes on Sharmistha.”
Panoli was arrested in Gurgaon by the Kolkata Police over videos in which she allegedly used abusive and provocative religious language, including criticism of Bollywood actors for their silence during Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
The FIR invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to inciting religious hatred and disrupting public peace.
Police clarify action, Pawan Kalyan slams ‘selective secularism’
Following criticism over the arrest, Kolkata Police issued a statement asserting that all legal procedures were followed. “All attempts were made to serve notice, but she was found absconding. A warrant was issued by a competent court, and she was arrested lawfully from Gurgaon,” the statement read.
Actor and politician Pawan Kalyan also weighed in, questioning the double standards in handling religious sentiments. “Secularism isn’t a shield for some and a sword for others. It must be a two-way street,” he posted on X, demanding accountability for derogatory remarks made by some TMC leaders against Hinduism.
The influencer has since taken down her video and issued an apology.
