Complainant in Influencer Case Reported Missing Amid Threat Allegations and Counter-Charges
The man whose complaint led to the recent arrest of social media influencer and law student Sharmistha Panoli has reportedly gone missing, with his family alleging sustained threats and harassment following the high-profile detention.
Wajahat Khan, the original complainant, has not been seen since Sunday night, according to his father, Saadat Khan. Family members stated that the 23-year-old vanished after days of receiving abusive phone calls and online threats in the wake of Panoli's arrest by Kolkata Police.
Panoli was taken into custody after a video surfaced in which she allegedly used offensive language and communal slurs, criticising Muslim Bollywood personalities for their silence on &lsquo;Operation Sindoor&rsquo;. Her arrest provoked significant backlash on social media, with several political figures demanding her immediate release.
Khan's family now claim they too have been targeted. Speaking to this reporter, Saadat Khan described how both he and his son were inundated with threatening calls, with verbal abuse directed at their family. &ldquo;My son was under immense stress from the kind of vitriol being hurled at him,&rdquo; said a relative, who also confirmed that Wajahat had not returned home since Sunday evening.
Complicating the matter further, a formal complaint has now been lodged against Wajahat Khan himself. A right-wing outfit, Shree Ram Swabhiman Parishad, has submitted a detailed letter to Garden Reach Police Station, accusing Khan of sharing inflammatory and derogatory content targeting the Hindu community.
The letter, dated June 2, demands that Khan be booked under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. It alleges he used terms such as &ldquo;rapist cultures&rdquo; and &ldquo;urine drinkers&rdquo; to insult Hindus, and posted obscene content mocking Hindu deities and religious practices.
A case has also been registered in Assam, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stating that a team from the state police would be dispatched to West Bengal to coordinate efforts to locate and apprehend Khan.
Authorities are now looking into both the disappearance and the mounting communal tensions triggered by the incident.

Sharmistha Panoli in police custody (file photo)

Wajahat Khan, who filed case against Panoli, missing amid threats and communal tensions

Complainant Missing After Influencer’s Arrest

Wajahat Khan, who filed case against Panoli, missing amid threats and communal tensions

June 3, 2025 | 06:37 IST