New Delhi: Influencer Sharmistha Panoli was on Friday released from the Woman Correctional Home in Kolkata. The law student however has been barred from interacting with the media. She was released a day after the Calcutta High Court granted her interim bail.
Arrest after controversial post on Operation Sindoor
The social media influencer was arrested after making a controversial social media post about ‘Operation Sindoor’. She was arrested by the Kolkata Police, from Gurugram in Haryana, following her comments about Bollywood actors making no statements about the anti-terror operation (Operation Sindoor) carried out by India against Pakistani terrorists. Following backlash she had deleted the video. She was also accused of hurting religious sentiments.
Granting her bail on Thursday, the High Court had asked the influencer to submit a bail bond of Rs 10,000. Earlier however, the court had denied her interim bail, saying that the freedom of speech does not mean that one can hurt the sentiments of another person or community. She had been booked for promoting enmity between different groups, malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace. Initially she was sent to judicial custody till June 13. Now however she is out on bail.
The court has however asked her to submit her passport and also asked police to provide her appropriate protection. This after she received threats, following the video she posted. Her arrest had created a stir in West Bengal, with the BJP attacking the ruling Trinamool government. BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari termed her arrest as “police overzealousness” and “atrocities”.
