Social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli released from prison on bail
Kolkata, Jun 6 (PTI): Social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli was released from prison on Friday after the Calcutta High Court granted her interim bail in a case involving alleged communal remarks made in a video uploaded on social media.
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to Panoli, who was arrested by Kolkata Police last week following an FIR lodged at the Garden Reach Police Station. The court observed that the complaint against Panoli did not disclose any cognisable offence.
Panoli, a 22-year-old law student, was arrested from Gurugram in Haryana last week after the FIR was registered.
The court directed that she be enlarged on a bail bond and a security of Rs 10,000. It also instructed her to cooperate with the investigation. The court further directed that Panoli shall not leave the country without its prior permission. However, it allowed the trial court to consider her application if she seeks to go abroad for educational purposes.
After her release, Panoli walked out of the prison dressed in blue denim and a round neck t-shirt, wearing a surgical mask. She was greeted by her family members, who took her inside the car and drove off, as media personnel were seen busy clicking her pictures.
Following Panoli's arrest last week, the Kolkata Police had stated: "Hate speech targeting any religious figure or community or any class of citizens of India, which has potential to incite disharmony and hatred between different communities, is a punishable offence in the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"Hate speech & abusive language should not be misconstrued as freedom of speech & expression as enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution," it added.
Panoli's arrest had earlier triggered a sharp political row between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP, with the saffron party accusing the state government of indulging in appeasement politics.
BJP leaders alleged that the Kolkata Police acted with undue haste under political pressure, targeting Panoli for her comments while ignoring similar posts from individuals targeting Hindu religion.
The TMC, on the other hand, defended the police action, asserting that no one had the right to spread hate speech under the guise of freedom of expression.
Kolkata Police has registered an FIR against Wajahat Khan Qadri, the man whose complaint led to the arrest of Panoli, for hurting religious sentiments, and he is now absconding, senior officers said here.
An FIR has been registered based on a police complaint which accused him of uploading "malicious and inflammatory" content on social media, aimed at hurting the sentiments of a religious community.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
