The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Director general of police of West Bengal to ensure the safety of Sharmistha Panoli during her custody in Kolkata. Law student and influencer Sharmistha was arrested from Gurugram in Haryana by the Kolkata Police on Friday, May 30, over her video against Pakistan which allegedly was blasphemous and offended Indian Muslims.
Priyank Kanoongo, a member of the NHRC told media, “We have issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and DGP of West Bengal, directing them to ensure her safety, especially as she is now in judicial custody. Additionally, we have sought clarification from the Haryana government on whether all legal protocols were followed. Based on the responses, we will decide the next course of action.”
Kanoongo also said that the human rights body received a complaint from the Legal Rights Observatory saying that proper legal procedures were not followed during Panoli’s arrest from Haryana.
