Wazahat Khan Qadri, the man who filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Instagram influencer Sharmishta Panoli for allegedly insulting and hurting religious sentiments, which led to her arrest, is now 'untraceable' since Sunday, June 1, said police. Multiple FIRs have been lodged against Wazahat Khan in several northeast states, including Delhi, Assam, and Kolkata. In Kolkata, the case has been registered at Garden Reach police station by an organization named Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad. KP cyber cell police are investigating the case for allegedly insulting and denigrating Hindu deities.
Another FIR has been registered in Assam against Wazahat for allegedly denigrating several Hindu deities, including Goddess Kamakhya. However, the Assam Police have not issued any official statement regarding the matter until now. The case was registered at Panbazar police station in Guwahati.
Two criminal complaints were also filed against him based on his social media posts in New Delhi, which disturb social harmony. The Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad also filed a complaint, accusing Khan of mocking Hindu traditions, festivals, and temples to incite communal tensions.
Wazahat's father, Saadaq Khan, claimed that there was a "witch hunt" for his arrest ever since the Instagram influencer Panoli's arrest. Father said his son did not hate any religion, suggesting that his social media accounts were probably "hacked". "My son is innocent and secular. He cannot insult Hinduism. We have been receiving threats since Sharmistha's arrest," he said.
According to the police source, who told The Times of India, "It has come to light that Khan started deleting several of his controversial social media posts as the student's arrest led to increased scrutiny on his accounts.
The Instagram influencer and law student Sharmishta Panoli was arrested on May 30 in Gurugram by KP and placed in 14-day judicial custody over a controversial video in which she criticised Muslim Bollywood celebrities for staying silent on ‘Operation Sindoor'.