Wajahat Khan, who had filed a complaint against influencer Sharmishta Panoli, has now been accused of hate speech. Authorities say he has mysteriously gone missing, raising serious questions and public concern.
Wajahat Khan, the individual whose police complaint resulted in the arrest of social media influencer and law student Sharmishta Panoli in Gurugram, has reportedly gone missing, according to sources.
Panoli, 22 years old, was taken into custody by Kolkata Police on May 30 in Haryana’s Gurugram, based on Khan’s complaint at the Garden Reach police station.
She faced allegations of inciting communal hatred through a now-deleted video in which she used offensive language and criticized Bollywood celebrities for their silence regarding Operation Sindoor.
After her arrest, Panoli was brought before a Kolkata court and placed in judicial custody until June 13.
The incident has sparked political controversy, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemning the arrest, highlighting that Panoli had deleted the video and issued an apology. Reports of Khan’s disappearance emerged following multiple complaints lodged against him in various locations, including Kolkata.
Kolkata Police has received a formal complaint against 30-year-old Wajahat Khan Qadri Rashidi, a city resident. According to sources, the complaint was filed by the Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad, alleging that Khan made derogatory and provocative remarks against the Hindu community on social media.
The complaint, directed to the Officer-in-Charge of the Garden Reach Police Station and dated June 2, requests the registration of an FIR under sections 196(1)(a), 299, 352, and 353(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as sections 66A and 67 of the IT Act.
It accuses Khan of using terms such as “rapist cultures” and “urine drinkers” to refer to Hindus. The complaint further claims that Khan used sexually explicit and vulgar language while insulting Hindu deities, traditions, temples, and festivals.
According to the letter, Khan’s comments are intended to incite communal discord, disrupt public order, and foster hostility among religious communities.
It calls for immediate police action to prevent any escalation of tensions. Separately, an advocate has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police and Cyber Crime Unit, accusing Khan of hate speech, religious defamation, and offensive content under relevant laws.
Additionally, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Monday that a case has been registered in the state against a man from West Bengal for allegedly insulting several Hindu deities, including Goddess Kamakhya.
The Assam government has sought his custody from West Bengal, with Sarma stating,
“Time alone will tell how they react to the request and cooperate with us.”
Wajahat Khan’s father expressed concern, stating that the complainant has not been seen since Sunday night, and their family has been receiving threatening phone calls since Sharmishta Panoli’s arrest.
Saadat Khan said in an interview,
“My son is innocent and secular. He cannot insult Hinduism. We have been receiving threats since Sharmistha’s arrest”
When asked about the accusations against his son, Saadat Khan suggested that Wajahat’s social media account might have been hacked.
He also mentioned that Wajahat had been extremely distressed by the barrage of abusive and threatening calls in recent days, with people blaming him for ruining Panoli’s life. Saadat Khan added that he, too, had received similar threatening calls and verbal abuse.