'Hope she learnt a lesson': Sharmistha Panoli gets bail; father says ‘we didn't like some of her videos'

NEW DELHI: As 22-year-old law student Sharmistha Panoli walked out of custody on interim bail granted by the Calcutta high court, her father, Prithviraj Panoli, admitted that even the family had disapproved of some of her social media posts.
'She would show us some videos, even we did not like some videos and we would tell her that,' he said, adding that they had deleted some of them and had asked her to remove the one that eventually led to her arrest. 'This must have been a good lesson for her,' he said.
The Calcutta high court on Thursday granted interim bail to 22-year-old law student and influencer Sharmistha Panoli, arrested for allegedly uploading a video that hurt religious sentiments.
While the legal proceedings continue, her father, Prithviraj Panoli, opened up emotionally about the arrest, her health, and their family's reaction to her online content.
'I am very happy, no father wants his daughter to be in jail,' he said. 'She has a kidney problem and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is necessary for her to take medicines, but since we didn't have the prescription, we couldn't give her medicine in jail.
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This must have been a good lesson to her. She will do well from now on.'
When asked whether they were aware of the controversial content Sharmistha had been posting, Panoli was candid: 'She would show us some videos, even we did not like some videos and we would tell her that. We had also deleted some of the videos. When she posted that video, we had asked her to delete the video. This (the case) must have been a good lesson for her.'
Sharmistha was arrested by Kolkata Police on May 30 from a hotel in Gurugram. The arrest stemmed from a video she posted regarding Operation Sindoor, which was deemed communal in nature. Though she had deleted the video and issued an apology on May 15, an FIR was lodged against her at the Garden Reach Police Station in Kolkata.
Granting her bail, the court noted the complaint did not disclose any cognisable offence. The conditions for 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 due to threats received after the video went viral.
The arrest sparked wider political reactions, with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari calling it 'police overzealousness' and 'a case of police atrocities'.

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