The chairman of the Bar Council of India, Manan Kumar Mishra, who is also a senior advocate at the Supreme Court, has come out in support of social media influencer and law student Sharmishtha Panoli following her arrest.
Mishra condemned Panoli’s arrest, calling it “an absolute failure of justice.” He described it as “a blatant assault on freedom of expression” and said that he “firmly stands with” Panoli in a statement released on Sunday.
Also read: Sharmishta Panoli arrest: Kangana Ranaut takes 'North Korea' jibe at Mamata
Sharmishta Panoli was arrested late Friday night by Kolkata Police from Gurugram in Haryana for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her ‘communal’ comments in now-deleted videos on her social media. She had made the remarks in connection to Operation Sindoor.
In his statement, Mishra lashed out at the West Bengal government and Kolkata Police and said that they have “once again proved their pattern of excessive, selective, and politically motivated action, targeting individuals from particular communities while ignoring or even shielding far more egregious acts by others.”
{{/usCountry}}In his statement, Mishra lashed out at the West Bengal government and Kolkata Police and said that they have “once again proved their pattern of excessive, selective, and politically motivated action, targeting individuals from particular communities while ignoring or even shielding far more egregious acts by others.”
{{/usCountry}}Mishra also brought up several incidents of ‘communal’ violence in West Bengal to slam the state government and accused it of “appeasement politics”. He mentioned incidents such as “Marichjhanpi massacre of Hindu refugees, the Nandigram violence, and the repeated political killings” and also the recent Murshidabad riots, which he called “state-sponsored” and alleged that the administration “failed to protect innocent lives and actively obstructed the deployment of central forces” there.
Also read: Kolkata Police defends itself in Sharmishta Panoli's case: ‘Acted lawfully’
‘Deeply troubling’
“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 in the statement.
He also called out the West Bengal government for “opposing” Operation Sindoor - “a decisive counter-terror operation meant to avenge the brutal killing of innocents” and said that it was “deeply troubling” that the same government now “seeks to silence a yoing law student for questioning such similar double standards”.
Referring to Panoli’s remarks in her videos, which she has now taken down, Mishra said that mere choice of words cannot be attributed a blasphemous character and added that the young law student is being made a “scapegoat” and subjected to “harsh legal action”.
“True democracy demands impartiality, restraint, and the equal protection of rights, not selective outrage and vendetta.”