Dimissing claims that an Instagram influencer, who uploaded a video with alleged communal comments in reference to Operation Sindoor was arrested unlawfully, the Kolkata Police has said several attempts were made to serve notice to her, but she deliberately stayed away.
Influencer Sharmishta Panoli, who is studying law at an institute in Pune, uploaded the video recently and faced a backlash, after which she deleted it and issued an apology. A complaint had, however, already been filed against her in Kolkata by then. When attempts to serve notice failed, a court issued an arrest warrant against Ms Panoli and she was arrested from Gurugram – where she had gone with her family – by the Kolkata Police on Friday night.
The 22-year-old was produced in court on Saturday and remanded in judicial custody till June 13.
The influencer’s arrest was termed unlawful by some on social media and BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari slammed the Trinamool Congress for taking her into custody to “appease a certain votebank” while refusing to act against its own leaders.
In a statement on Saturday, the Kolkata Police said some “social media narratives suggesting an unlawful arrest” of a law student are “incorrect and misleading”.
“All legal procedures were duly adhered to. 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,” the statement said.
“We urge all concerned to refrain from spreading unverified or speculative content and to rely on authentic sources for information,” it added.
Appeasement Politics
Hitting out at the Mamata Banerjee-led government, Mr Adhikari said action is only taken against ‘sanatanis’.
“FIRs were filed against (Trinamool MP) Mahua Moitra after she made derogatory comments about Goddess Kali. Was any action taken? What did their MP Saayoni Ghosh post about Mahadev (Lord Shiva)? Was any action taken? There have been so many FIRs against Firhad Hakim, but there has been no action. The action is only taken against ‘sanatanis’. Everyone here has a licence to abuse ‘sanatanis’,” the BJP leader said.
“What they (Trinamool Congress) are doing is appeasement politics. A certain community is their votebank and they are doing this to appease them. Mahua Moitra used derogatory language against Goddess Kali in a talk show, 200 FIRs were registered. Was any action taken? No,” he added.
