The Bar Council of India lashed out at the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on Monday over the arrest of Sharmishtha Panoli — calling it a complete failure of justice. The social media influencer and law student was arrested by the Kolkata police on Friday night amid widespread backlash over a video she posted earlier in May. The now-deleted clip had contained communally charged language and soon triggered online outrage.
“I stand firmly with Sharmistha Panoli. Her arrest and judicial custody over a now-deleted social media video — despite her immediate apology — reflects a complete failure of justice. This is a blatant attack on free speech,” wrote BCI chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Manan Kumar Mishra.
He also released a lengthy letter expressing his support for the law student and demanded her immediate release — contending that her “courage” exposed the “hypocrisy” of the state government. Mishra accused the Mamata Banerjee-led administration and Kolkata Police of “targeting individuals from particular communities while ignoring or even shielding far more egregious acts by others”.
“Time and time again the state machinery has shielded those inciting or perpetrating violence against Hindus while acting with unprecedented haste and severity against individuals like Sharmishtha for expressing dissent. Yet in these cases justice has been slow or absent and those responsible have often enjoyed impunity,” he continued.
The lengthy missive also noted that the state government had “opposed Operation Sindoor” and now sought to “silence a young law student for questioning such similar double standards”. The remarks also came mere hours after Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that Banerjee was opposing Operation Sindoor to “appease” the Muslim vote bank. The remarks have also promoted a political war of words between the TMC and the ruling coalition.
