Bar Council of India Chairperson and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra has issued a strong statement condemning the arrest of 19-year-old law student and social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli by the Kolkata Police, calling it an “absolute failure of justice” and a “blatant assault on freedom of expression.”
Panoli was arrested late Friday night, 30 May 2025, from Gurugram, Haryana, and brought to Kolkata on transit remand following allegations that she had hurt religious sentiments through a now-deleted social media video related to Operation Sindoor. On 31 May 2025, a court in Kolkata’s Alipore area remanded her to 14 days of judicial custody, till 13 June 2025, though it denied the state police’s plea for police custody.
In a public statement released on Sunday, Senior Advocate Mishra criticized the arrest and accused the West Bengal government and Kolkata Police of targeting Panoli with “politically motivated” action. “Mere wrong choice of words cannot be attributed a blasphemous character. It is unconscionable that a young law student is made a scapegoat and subjected to harsh legal action, while past atrocities on particular communities by government-sponsored persons and entities remain unaddressed,” Mishra said.
He called on the Bengal government and police to “abandon this dangerous path of targeting select voices and to uphold the rule of law for all.” “I demand Sharmishta’s immediate release, a fair trial, and an end to the double standards that have long plagued the state’s administration of justice,” he stated.
Panoli had earlier posted an apology on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after the video attracted backlash, but the police proceeded with her arrest. Mishra argued that the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression should not be overridden merely due to the video’s content. “I stand firmly with Sharmishta Panoli, whose arrest and judicial custody for a now-deleted social media video — despite her immediate apology — represents an absolute failure of justice and a blatant assault on freedom of expression,” he said.
He went on to accuse the West Bengal government of having a record of “appeasement politics,” pointing to a string of incidents in the state, including the Marichjhanpi massacre, Nandigram violence, and Murshidabad riots. Mishra alleged that the administration failed to protect lives and obstructed central forces. “Time and again, the state machinery has shielded those inciting or perpetrating violence against Hindus, while acting with unprecedented haste and severity against individuals like Sharmishta for expressing dissent,” Mishra wrote.
The senior advocate also called out the Mamata Banerjee-led government for allegedly opposing Operation Sindoor, a counter-terror operation initiated after attacks on Indian security forces. “It is deeply troubling that the same government now seeks to silence a young law student for questioning such similar double standards,” Mishra said.
Sharmistha Panoli’s courage exposes the #Bengal government’s hypocrisy – swift to crush dissent, silent on hate from their own/selected.
Selective enforcement for vote-bank politics is a stain on democracy. #IStandWithSharmishtha #SharmisthaPanoli, #ReleaseSharmistha pic.twitter.com/IU1Ag0y9R3
— Manan Kumar Mishra (@MishraManan01) June 1, 2025
(With inputs from LiveLaw)
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