Police arrest influencer Santosh Pandit over remarks against minister Chandrakant Patil

According to her complaint, she came across a YouTube video by Pandit in which he made remarks about Chandrakant Patil and a female corporator, warning that if the two did not respond to his questions within two days, he would publicly humiliate them.

The complainant said she also found another video in which Pandit used obscene language while questioning Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the state’s road-laying tar issue. She told police that the language used in both videos left her feeling humiliated and offended, prompting her to approach Kothrud Police Station.

Based on her complaint, police registered a case against Pandit for outraging a woman’s modesty. He was arrested from his Kothrud home.

An FIR was registered against Pandit under Sections 75(1)(iv), 75(3), 356(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which deals with publishing obscene material electronically.

However, the news of the midnight arrest triggered reactions online, with many of Pandit’s followers rallying behind him. His videos, which often draw millions of views, are popular for spotlighting infrastructure failures and holding public officials accountable, a track record supporters say makes the timing and manner of his arrest suspicious.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) national spokesperson Anish Gawande was among those who criticised the police action. “The 1:00 am arrest of activist Santosh Pandit is a textbook case of political intimidation and gross police overreach. Every charge invoked carries a maximum sentence of 3 years or less, meaning under Section 35 of the BNSS and the Supreme Court’s mandatory Arnesh Kumar guidelines, a prior notice was non-negotiable.

“Bypassing due process to conduct a midnight raid on someone whose only real crime is raising viral questions on civic development and criticising the government is completely unacceptable. I am formally writing to DCP Crime Gauhar Hasan on this matter. The Pune Police is a respected, professional force, but if officers choose to weaponise laws meant to protect women just to appease political masters, we will drag them straight to the High Court under contempt proceedings,” he added.