Influencer Sharmishta Panoli Released From Jail After Court Relief

A day after getting an interim relief from the Calcutta High Court, social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli walked out of jail after she was arrested over a communally charged video linked to Operation Sindoor.

The 22-year-old influencer from Kolkata was arrested on May 31 for communal remarks she made against a post that questioned India's military response after the Pahalgam terror attack.

Ms Panoli was arrested in Gurugram last week after her Instagram post drew protests.

The interim bail granted to the influencer yesterday came after the Kolkata police filed a case against Wajahat Khan Qadri, the man whose complaint led to the arrest of Ms Panoli. The man is facing arrest and is on the run.

An Assam Police team 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.

Ms Panoli's 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.

She even received support from Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament and the leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom, who said the influencer's arrest is a "disgrace for freedom of speech" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure she is freed.