Absconding Wazahat Khan held in Kolkata in hate speech case

The Kolkata Police on Monday evening arrested Wazahat Khan, who had lodged a complaint against social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli for allegedly uploading a video with communal comments, in the city, a senior officer said.

Khan was hiding in a flat in the Amherst Street area from where he was picked up, the officer said.

Khan, who was absconding, has been booked under various sections of the BNS, including those dealing with promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, and insults or attempts to insult religion.

An FIR was registered against him at the Golf Green Police Station in south Kolkata for allegedly promoting hate speech and hurting religious sentiments through his social media posts.

The other charges slapped against him included sections on provoking breach of peace and statements conducing to public mischief.

The personnel from the Kolkata Police Anti-Rowdy Section of the Detective Department earlier conducted raids at Digha and Howrah in search of the absconding accused, an officer said.

Khan ignored three consecutive summonses for questioning and remained on the run till he was arrested, police said.

The arrest followed a joint raid of the Kolkata Police and officials of the city police's Detective Department.

Earlier, on May 30, Sharmistha Panoli was arrested by Kolkata Police from Gurugram in Haryana after a video she uploaded on social media drew widespread outrage.

Khan, the prime complainant against Panoli, had lodged his complaint against the influencer under several sections, including those pertaining to malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings leading the police to lodge a case against her on May 15.

In the video, Panoli allegedly used abusive language and made communal remarks criticising a section of Bollywood celebrities for their silence on Operation Sindoor.

The video in question was later deleted, and Panoli had tendered an unconditional apology on social media.

The 22-year law student was subsequently presented before a magistrate here and sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Panoli was granted conditional interim bail by the Calcutta High Court on June 5 on grounds that the complaint against her did not disclose any cognisable offence. She was set free a day later.

The court, while refusing to grant her interim bail earlier, had said that freedom of speech is not absolute and does not allow anyone to hurt religious sentiments.

Meanwhile, multiple complaints had also been lodged against Wazahat Khan with Kolkata Police, including one by the Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad.

The Parishad's complaint, dated June 2 and addressed to the Officer-in-Charge of the Garden Reach Police Station, accused Khan of using derogatory, inflammatory, and sexually explicit language targeting Hindu deities, religious traditions, and the community at large.

After Panoli's arrest, Khan went missing with his father Saadat Khan telling the media that the family had been receiving threatening calls accusing them of "ruining Panoli's life".