Social media activist and content creator Santosh Pandit was reportedly detained by Pune Police early Thursday morning, days after a criminal case was registered against him over a social media video involving Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil.
According to reports, police reached Pandit’s residence at around 1 am and took him into custody. Videos claiming to show the late-night police action have also surfaced on social media.
The action follows a complaint filed with Deccan Police over a video shared through the social media account ‘Rajkaran Express’. The complaint was filed by Sunil Pandey, a former BJP corporator and resident of the Deccan Gymkhana area.
Pandey alleged that the video was aimed at defaming Chandrakant Patil, who serves as Maharashtra’s Higher and Technical Education Minister. While the video reportedly raised questions over public representatives addressing citizens’ problems, the complainant alleged that it also used abusive and indecent language against the minister.
Police subsequently registered a case against Pandit and another person under Sections 356, 296 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The investigation is being handled by Assistant Police Inspector S. Jadhav. Police are examining the disputed video, the social media account through which it was circulated and the circumstances in which the content was produced and shared.
The development has attracted attention because Pandit had recently been involved in another public confrontation with BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar.
In that incident, Pandit questioned Padalkar about his SUV allegedly not displaying a High-Security Registration Plate (HSRP). Padalkar reportedly responded by referring to it as a “Marathi number plate” before asking Pandit, “Where is your helmet?”
The latest detention comes amid growing attention around social media creators and political figures in Maharashtra, particularly when online videos involve criticism or allegations against elected representatives.
At present, the allegations against Pandit remain part of the police investigation, and the detention does not by itself establish his guilt.
