Hate speech: BJP files FIR against man who accused Sharmistha; Wazahat Khan now faces charges himself

NEW DELHI: BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul and West Bengal BJP legal cell member Sanjukta Samanta have filed FIRs against Wazahat Khan Qadri, who had complained against influencer Sharmistha Panoli for alleged communal remarks on social media.

The FIRs were registered at Ballygunge police station in Kolkata and Howrah police station. Qadri is accused of regularly making communal and inflammatory remarks on social media. A senior police officer earlier confirmed that at least seven separate complaints were filed against him, including at the Lalbazar cyber cell. “We are verifying the social media content and further legal action will follow,” the officer added.

Qadri’s account on X has since been locked.

Qadri has been "untraceable" since Sunday, according to police sources. His father, Saadaq Khan, has alleged that a “witch hunt” has been launched against his son ever since Panoli’s arrest. He also claimed that Qadri's accounts may have been hacked and denied that his son harboured any hatred toward any religion. “My son is secular. We’ve been receiving threats since Sharmistha’s arrest,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court granted interim bail to Sharmistha Panoli on Thursday. The bench ruled that the FIR against her did not reveal any cognisable offence. Panoli, a law student, was arrested from Gurugram last week following the circulation of a video in which she criticised Bollywood actors in context of Operation Sindoor.