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.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
