Kolkata: In a dramatic twist to the ongoing controversy surrounding Operation Sindoor, Wajahat Khan — the complainant whose FIR led to the arrest of social media influencer and law student Sharmistha Panoli — has now himself been arrested by Kolkata Police on charges of hate speech, promoting enmity, and hurting religious sentiments.
Khan had reportedly been absconding since June 1 after an FIR was registered against him for making derogatory, sexually explicit, and inflammatory remarks targeting Hindu deities and culture on social media. His arrest comes days after an intensive search operation involving multiple raids across Kolkata and several notices issued to his residence in Garden Reach, which went unanswered.
The controversy began with a video uploaded on May 28 by Sharmistha Panoli, a law student and influencer, who criticized prominent Muslim Bollywood celebrities for their silence on Operation Sindoor — a nationwide military and counterterrorism operation that has garnered both praise and criticism. In her video, Panoli used abusive language and made communal remarks, which quickly went viral and triggered widespread backlash.
Acting on a complaint filed by Khan, Kolkata Police arrested Panoli on May 30 in Gurugram. She was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, including charges for promoting communal disharmony and using offensive language online. Despite deleting the video and issuing a public apology, Panoli was remanded to 14 days in judicial custody. She was later granted interim bail with strict conditions, including a ban on international travel and a ₹10,000 security deposit.
Tables Turn on Complainant
What began as a legal case against Panoli soon took a surprising turn. On June 2, the Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad filed a formal complaint against Wajahat Khan for his alleged communal and derogatory posts on social media. According to the complaint, Khan made explicit and offensive comments targeting Hindu customs and deities, referring to them as “rapist cultures” and “urine drinkers.”
These remarks, deemed inflammatory and offensive, led to the registration of an FIR under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The FIR, filed at the Golf Green Police Station, accused Khan of promoting communal hatred and spreading obscene and inflammatory content online.
After the FIR was lodged, Khan went into hiding. His father, Saadat Khan, told local media that the family had received threatening calls from unknown individuals blaming them for Sharmistha Panoli’s arrest and the subsequent public outrage. He claimed that Wajahat feared for his safety and had left home to avoid further trouble.
However, Kolkata Police launched a concerted search operation, and Khan was arrested on June 8 and taken into custody for interrogation. He will be produced before a magistrate for further legal proceedings.
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