Guwahati: IIT Bombay research scholar and civil liberties activist Kalparnab Gupta was granted bail by a local court in Silchar, Assam, on Tuesday, eight days after his arrest by Cachar Police.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Cachar granted Gupta bail against a surety of Rs 10,000.
Gupta, the chief convenor of the Barak Union for Civil Liberties, was arrested on September 28 following a complaint filed by Bajrang Dal activist Ponkaj Das.
Gupta was subsequently produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Silchar. The court had earlier rejected his bail plea, observing that the material placed before it provided prima facie grounds supporting the arrest and that his release at that stage could potentially affect the investigation. He was then remanded to judicial custody.
According to the complaint, Gupta had allegedly shared social media content that the complainant described as “defamatory, hateful and communally provocative” towards the Bajrang Dal, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Hindu religious beliefs.
Advocate Nalinakhshya Nag represented Gupta and argued for his release on bail before the CJM court.
A case was registered at Silchar Police Station as Case No. 870/2026 under Sections 353(2), 196(2), 299 and 356(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Gupta’s arrest had triggered strong reactions from civil society groups in Silchar, with several organisations criticising the police action and describing the arrest as arbitrary.
The groups maintained that objections to social media statements could be addressed through public debate or available legal remedies.