New Delhi, June 2: The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) has strongly condemned the arrest of 22-year-old law student and social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli by the West Bengal Police over a now-deleted video shared online.
In a statement issued on Monday, BCD Chairman Surya Prakash Khatri criticised the Kolkata Police for what he called a "high-handed and politically motivated" action, claiming Panoli was treated like a criminal despite her prompt apology and deletion of the post.
“The excessive and selective action taken by Kolkata Police reflects political interference by the West Bengal Government,” Khatri alleged, adding that lawlessness and politically-backed violence were rampant in the state.
The BCD has called for Panoli’s immediate release to preserve the principles of justice.
A day earlier, Manan Kumar Mishra, senior advocate and Chairman of the Bar Council of India, also urged the Bengal government to free Panoli, warning against targeting “select voices.”
Panoli was arrested in Kolkata for her remarks in a video criticizing Bollywood’s silence on the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor. She now faces charges under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including promoting enmity, intentional insult to provoke breach of peace, and inciting public mischief.
