Sharmistha arrest: NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo seeks report from West Bengal

New Delhi, June 2 The NHRC on Monday sought a report within 10 days from the West Bengal government and police on the safety of the jailed law student-cum-creator Sharmistha Panoli, while questioning the state authorities on her arrest formalities.

NHRC Member Priyank Kanoongo told IANS, “A notice was issued to the Chief Secretary and police chief on receiving a complaint alleging irregularities in the procedure adopted by police to arrest Panoli and take her on transit remand.”

“We have sought a report within 10 days,” Kanoongo said.

Twenty-two-year-old Sharmistha was arrested on Saturday in Haryana’s Gurugram by Kolkata Police for posting videos containing communal remarks during Operation Sindoor.

Earlier, Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut on Sunday called for the early release of Panoli, calling her arrest over a now-deleted social media post ‘unjustified’.

Kangana, known for essaying characters of strong women in her films, also expressed concerns over the damage caused to the influencer-cum-law student’s career after her arrest by Kolkata Police.

“No girl or daughter should be subjected to such high-handedness,” said Ranaut while talking to the media on the sidelines of an event in Delhi.

Targeting the Trinamool government in West Bengal, the National Award-winning actress and BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, said, “I request the government of West Bengal not to make the state another North Korea.”

“Every citizen has democratic rights…if she made an objectionable comment, she also apologised for it later. She seems to have made the comment in a general context. Youngsters today use such language in the normal course,” she said, putting up a strong case for Sharmistha’s release.

Actor-cum-politician and Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan showed solidarity with Sharmistha and asked West Bengal Police to act justly.

Amid the growing sympathy for the arrested influencer, the Kolkata Police sought to counter the ‘misleading narrative' surrounding their action and her objectionable social media content.

In a post on the social media platform X, the Kolkata Police justified their action of apprehending the 22-year-old law student, claiming they acted lawfully according to the procedure established by law.

“Hate speech and abusive language should not be misconstrued as freedom of speech and expression as enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution,” said the police.

“The accused was not arrested for expressing patriotism or for personal belief; legal actions were taken for sharing offensive content which promotes hatred among the communities,” the police said.

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