Communal post case: Influencer Sharmistha Panoli walks out of jail; was arrested over controversial video

NEW DELHI: A law student, Sharmistha Panoli arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through a social media video walked out of Alipore Women’s Correctional Home on Friday, a day after the Calcutta high court granted her interim bail.Panoli was arrested by Kolkata Police on May 30 from a hotel in Gurugram for a video she had posted on ‘Operation Sindoor’, which was deemed communal in nature. Though she deleted the video and issued a public apology on May 15, an FIR was later registered against her at the Garden Reach police station in Kolkata. The Calcutta high court on Thursday noted that the complaint did not disclose any cognisable offence and granted her interim bail. Conditions of the bail include surrendering her passport, cooperating with the investigation, and furnishing a personal bond of Rs 10,000. The court also directed that she be given police protection, citing threats she had received after the video went viral. Panoli’s arrest had sparked political backlash, with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari calling it a case of “police overzealousness” and “atrocities”.