Santosh Pandit, a social media influencer and activist, was arrested at his Pune residence early Thursday morning. The police detained him for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil. Pandit has been vocal about various civic issues and frequently shares videos on social media platforms.
Police Statement on Custody
The detention came a day after Pandit confronted another ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gopichand Padalkar for allegedly not having the mandatory high-security registration plate on his vehicle. Pandit asked chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to take note of how the police treated an activist. “If the police can knock on my door at 1am and take me away, what should a common man expect? Is this the way the administration wants to treat citizens who raise questions?
On August 30, police registered a case against two people, including Pandit, on Pandey’s complaint.
Pandit said in the video. Runal Mulla, a police officer, said Pandit was taken into custody over his remarks against Patil as per the First Information Report Pandey lodged. “He will be arrested soon as the process is underway,” Mulla said. Police said a video Pandit posted on the social media account “Rajkaran Express” contained derogatory, abusive, and allegedly defamatory remarks about Patil.
