Jun 03, 2025 01:36 AM IST
Sharmishtha Panoli was arrested from Haryana’s Gurugram by the West Bengal Police on Friday, May 30, over her contentious post.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Director general of police of West Bengal to ensure the safety of Sharmistha Panoli, a social media influencer and law student arrested over her alleged communal remarks linked to Operation Sindoor, said Priyank Kanoongo, a member of the human rights body.
The action was taken in view of the multiple “rape and death threats” against Panoli, Kanoongo told ANI.
He also said that the human rights body received a complaint from the Legal Rights Observator alleging that proper legal procedures were not followed during Panoli’s arrest.
Panoli was arrested from Haryana’s Gurugram by the West Bengal Police on Friday, May 30, over her contentious post. She has been sent to judicial custody till June 13.
“We received a complaint from an organisation called Legal Rights Observatory regarding a law student, who was arrested by West Bengal Police from Haryana in the middle of the night over an allegedly objectionable social media post. The complaint alleges that proper legal procedures were not followed during her arrest and transit. It also states that the girl has received threats from radical Islamists, including rape and death threats,” Kanoongo told ANI.
He also said that the NHRC has reached out to the Haryana government as well to determine whether all legal procedures were followed properly or not during Panoli’s arrest before deciding the next course of action.
“We have issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and DGP of West Bengal, directing them to ensure her safety, especially as she is now in judicial custody. Additionally, we have sought clarification from the Haryana government on whether all legal protocols were followed. Based on the responses, we will decide the next course of action,” he said.
A police complaint has been filed against a 30-year-old Kolkata resident, whose May 14 complaint led to the arrest of a 22-year-old law student for a social media post from Gurugram, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.
