"Directed Chief Secretary, DGP of West Bengal to ensure her safety": NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo on Sharmishtha Panoli's arrest

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanoongo on Monday said that the commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) in West Bengal, directing them to ensure the safety of social media influencer Sharmishtha Panoli, who was recently arrested for posting an alleged communal post, owing to "rape and death threats" against the accused. He said that the Legal Rights Observatory lodged a complaint with the NHRC, alleging that proper legal procedures were not followed during the arrest of Panoli, who was arrested by the West Bengal police from Haryana's Gurugram on May 30.

"We received a complaint from an organisation called Legal Rights Observatory regarding a law student, who was arrested by West Bengal Police from Haryana in the middle of the night over an allegedly objectionable social media post. The complaint alleges that proper legal procedures were not followed during her arrest and transit. It also states that the girl has received threats from radical Islamists, including rape and death threats," Kanoongo told ANI. He added that NHRC would decide on its next course of action after inquiring whether proper legal protocols were followed during Panoli's arrest.

"We have issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and DGP of West Bengal, directing them to ensure her safety, especially as she is now in judicial custody. Additionally, we have sought clarification from the Haryana government on whether all legal protocols were followed. Based on the responses, we will decide the next course of action," Kanoongo added. Earlier, Manan Kumar Mishra, Chairman of the Bar Council of India and Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, strongly condemned the arrest of law student Sharmishtha Panoli.

He issued a statement stating that her detention over a now-deleted social media video--despite her immediate apology--has sparked outrage, with Mishra denouncing it as a grave miscarriage of justice and a direct attack on freedom of expression. Mishra asserted that the Bengal government and Kolkata Police have repeatedly demonstrated selective enforcement of the law, targeting individuals from specific communities while overlooking more serious offences committed by others.

He pointed to historical injustices in West Bengal, such as the Marichjhanpi massacre, Nandigram violence, and politically motivated killings, as evidence of systemic failures in the state's justice system. Recent incidents, including the Murshidabad riots, further exemplify what he termed "appeasement politics," where the state shields perpetrators of violence against certain groups while swiftly punishing those who express dissent. Law student and social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli was taken into custody by Kolkata Police in Gurugram on Friday night after facing intense backlash over a video she shared earlier this month. The now-deleted footage allegedly featured communally sensitive language and remarks that sparked outrage online and led to legal proceedings. (ANI)

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