The Kolkata Police has registered an FIR against Wazahat Khan Qadri Rashid, the man whose organisation’s complaint led to the arrest of Pune law student Sharmistha Panoli.

Rashid, who heads the Rashidi Foundation and resides in Kolkata’s Garden Reach, now finds himself at the centre of a growing backlash — with multiple FIRs filed against him in Delhi, Mumbai, Rajasthan and Assam for alleged hate speech targeting Hindu deities and beliefs.

A trust, Shri Ram Swabhiman Parishad, has lodged the complaint against Rashid at Kolkata's Garden Reach police station, the same station where the complaint against Sharmishta Panoli was filed, reported India Today.

In its complaint, the trust accused Wajahat Khan of sharing "malicious and inflammatory posts" on social media that were "intentionally directed toward the Hindu community, its sacred beliefs, and revered deities".

Rashid’s father, Saadat Khan, claimed his son is "innocent and secular", suggesting his "social media account may have been hacked", according to a report in the India Today.

Saadat Khan also revealed that Rashid has disappeared since Sunday afternoon.

The Kolkata Police had arrested Panoli from Gurugram and brought Panoli to the city on transit remand.

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail plea of Sharmistha Panoli, arrested for alleged offensive content by the Kolkata Police, saying “heavens will not fall.”

Shortly after Panoli’s arrest, Qadri’s posts on X surfaced — including alleged vulgar and incendiary remarks about Hindu gods and temples. Though deleted, the posts were widely circulated. Qadri has now locked his X profile.

Qadri has now locked his X profile(screengrab)

In Mumbai, a complaint to the L.T. Marg Police station cited a particularly offensive tweet in which Qadri described the Kamakhya Temple in crude and derogatory terms. The organisation, which filed the complaint, has demanded charges under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Information Technology Act.

Assam Police have already formed a team to seek Rashid’s arrest.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed the move, stating, “An FIR has been lodged against him in Assam. I’ve requested Kolkata Police to hand him over.”