Sharmishta Panoli, a 22-year-old influencer from Kolkata, was granted interim bail after her arrest over a controversial post. A case has also been filed against the complainant, Wajahat Khan Qadri.
Sharmishta Panoli, the 22-year-old social media influencer from Kolkata arrested over a communally charged video linked to Operation Sindoor, has been granted interim bail by the Calcutta High Court.
Ms Panoli was arrested on May 31, over two weeks after she made the controversial remarks in response to a post questioning India's military action after the Pahalgam attack.
The interim bail comes a day after the Kolkata Police filed a first information report (FIR) against Wajahat Khan Qadri, the man whose complaint led to the arrest of Ms Panoli.
Mr Qadri faces allegations of hurting religious sentiments. He is on the run, the police said.
An Assam Police team has also reached Kolkata with an arrest warrant for Mr Qadri. The Assam Police filed a case against him earlier this week for posting content on social media that contained hate speech and derogatory remarks, which hurt religious sentiments.
He was not found at his Kolkata house when the police team went there on Wednesday. Mr Khan also faces many cases in other states.
Ms Panoli was arrested from Gurugram last week after her Instagram post drew protests.
Her arrest sparked a political row, with the BJP and its allies targeting the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal. She was produced in court and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
Ms Panoli even received support from nearly 7,000 km away. Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament and the leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom, has said the influencer's arrest is a "disgrace for freedom of speech" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure she is freed.
