Is India a constitutional democracy or a banana republic where threats of beheading and mob justice override the rule of law? The recent arrest of Sharmishta Panoli—a law student from Symbiosis—by Kolkata Police from Gurgaon, over allegedly “offensive” remarks against a minority faith, exposes the grim reality: we are fast surrendering to religious vigilantism in the name of secularism. Let’s be clear. What happened to Sharmishta Panoli is not just an overreach by the West Bengal Police. It is a naked display of how political appeasement, bureaucratic cowardice, and selective secularism have hijacked our constitutional ethos. A student-no—no terrorist, no criminal—was picked up across state lines in an operation more suited to arresting a fugitive than handling an alleged speech offense. Where was the due process? Where was the outrage from those who scream “Constitution Kathrein mein hai” every time it suits their political narrative? And where, crucially, was the Narendra Modi government? This is the same government that authorized precise airstrikes against terror bases in Pakistan after the Pulwama massacre. It promised a zero-tolerance policy on national security. But when it comes to domestic threats—issued openly by radical clerics and extremists who want to see a Hindu girl’s head roll—it goes into silent mode.
Does our state flex its muscles only across borders, but bow to intimidation when the threat is within? It’s not the first time. Hindu scholars, authors, artists—even tailors—have paid the price for daring to speak their mind. From Kamlesh Tiwari in Uttar Pradesh to Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan, the pattern is chillingly familiar: a post, a fatwa, and then silence from the system. The moral grandstanders who speak of “freedom of expression” are nowhere to be seen. Because apparently, that freedom is conditional on what you say and about whom. Let’s also talk legality. Gurgaon, from where the arrest was made, is in Haryana. Kolkata Police had no business executing a dramatic transit remand without local police coordination and due court orders. If roles were reversed—say, UP Police arresting someone from Bengal over a comment on a Hindu deity—liberal India would be on fire with accusations of fascism and state overreach. But when a Hindu girl is at the receiving end, there is a deafening silence. Where is the outrage from the Union Home Ministry? From the National Commission for Women? From the apex court that takes suo motu cognizance of the slightest inconvenience to media darlings and socialites, but not for a law student whose life is under direct threat?
Let’s be blunt. This is not just about Sharmishta Panoli. It is about whether India’s majority community is expected to remain permanently gagged. For decades, Hindus have tolerated relentless abuse of their gods, scriptures, and festivals, without resorting to violence or threats. That is the strength of Sanatana Dharma. But that strength is now being exploited by those who know the state will not protect its own. India is not an Islamic republic. It is not a theocracy. It is a sovereign, secular, democratic republic governed by laws, not fatwas, not sermons, not threats. The Constitution does not carve out religious exceptions for violence, nor does it allow religious sentiments to override the right to free speech. And yet, here we are—watching a young girl apologize, delete her videos, live in fear, and still not be safe. Is this the “new India” we were promised? Mr. Modi, your silence is not strategic. It is complicit. If this government can abrogate Article 370, enforce CAA, and build the Ram Mandir, it surely has the power to protect a law-abiding Hindu girl from death threats. It must act firmly and without delay. Book those issuing fatwas. Enforce interstate policing protocols. Rein in rogue police departments acting as religious morality squads. And for once, call out the dangerous hypocrisy of those who hide behind secularism to shield religious fanaticism. The BJP cannot keep asking for Hindu votes while abandoning Hindus to fend for themselves when it matters. If this cowardice continues, the political cost will be steep. And justified. India’s pluralism must not become a pretext for majoritarian gagging. Every faith must be respected, but none must be allowed to terrorize. Let the message be loud and clear: this is not Pakistan. This is India. And the law must prevail.
