‘All Eyes on Sharmistha’: Dutch MP Geert Wilders Slams Arrest of Indian Law Student
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 1st June: The arrest of 22-year-old law student and social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli has now made international headlines. As political temperatures rise at home, support for the young woman has come from across continents — this time, from Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders.
Wilders, known for his hardline views on free speech and religion, took to social media platform X to express solidarity with Panoli.
“Free the brave Sharmistha Panoli! It’s a disgrace for the freedom of speech that she was arrested. Don’t punish her for speaking the truth about Pakistan and Muhammad. Help her @narendramodi,” he posted, with a bold visual that read: “All eyes on Sharmistha.”
Free the brave Sharmishta Panoli!
It’s a disgrace for the freedom of speech that she was arrested.
Don’t punish her for speaking the truth about Pakistan and Muhammad.
Help her @narendramodi! @AmyMek #Sharmishta#IStandwithSharmishta #ReleaseSharmistha #FreeSharmishta pic.twitter.com/YhGSLhuyr2
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) May 31, 2025
Panoli, a student of law, was arrested by Kolkata Police on Friday from Gurgaon. The action came after she uploaded a video during Operation Sindoor, India’s counterterror operation following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. In her video, she used harsh, communally charged language and criticised Bollywood celebrities for their silence.
Following outrage, the influencer deleted the post and issued an apology. But it wasn’t enough to stop legal action. An FIR filed in Kolkata charged her with promoting enmity on religious grounds, offending religious sentiments, and attempting to provoke unrest. A local court remanded her to 14 days of judicial custody.
Back in India, her arrest has stirred a political storm.
Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party leader Pawan Kalyan criticised what he called the selective application of justice.
“Yes, her words were harsh, and she apologised. But where is the same urgency when Sanatana Dharma is mocked by elected MPs? Where is their arrest?” Kalyan asked in a post on X.
The debate has reignited larger questions on how secularism is practised in India.
“Secularism must be a two-way street,” Kalyan added, highlighting remarks by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who recently accused the BJP of promoting “ganda dharma” — a term that has sparked its own controversy.
Trinamool Congress, meanwhile, defended the arrest, with Banerjee accusing the BJP of trying to incite communal tension. Kolkata Police too issued a statement pushing back against claims of overreach.
“She was absconding despite repeated notices. A warrant was issued by the court. Her arrest followed due legal process,” the police clarified.
Even as the legal case moves forward, the larger debate it has triggered — on freedom of speech, political hypocrisy, and religious tolerance — continues to grow louder.
From a courtroom in Kolkata to a parliament in The Hague, #SharmisthaPanoli has now become a flashpoint in a global conversation on where the line lies between speech and offence.
