SOCIAL MEDIA influencer Kirti Patel was on Monday granted bail in a case of alleged extortion of another influencer in Gujarat’s Junagadh district. This comes after she was arrested by Junagadh Police from a hotel in Udaipur, Rajasthan. A local court granted her bail after a one-day remand in police custody. The other influencer is under treatment at a hospital and is likely to be discharged soon, police said.However, police told The Indian Express that she is likely to be arrested again in one of two other cases, one pertaining to the obstruction of a public servant in the discharge of duty and the other in which she is booked for hurting religious sentiments.Three FIRs were filed against Patel within a span of six days. Patel is described as a YouTuber and the entire sequence of controversies that broke out after her alleged “holy dip” in the Mrugi Kund (holy pond) of the Bhavnath Mahadev Temple in Junagadh, which has led to the three cases, has been debated on social media, especially among Patel’s 1.3 million followers on Instagram.The latest case, arrestPatel was on Monday granted bail in the third FIR against her, this one filed at Junagadh Taluka police station on February 21, on the basis of a complaint by Abjal Kara Sida, a labourer and an Instagram influencer in Junagadh with more than 27,000 followers.He posted a reel on Instagram that purportedly showed him drinking a white-coloured liquid (suspected to be phenyl) near railway tracks. Soon after, a woman is seen running up to him and trying to stop him and saying that he was near Udyognagar police station. This is in Rajkot district’s Jetpur.The FIR stated that Sida had taken the step following threats from the accused persons after he had opposed Kirti Patel making allegations against Hindu sadhus.Sida is under treatment at a hospital and is likely to be discharged soon, police sources said.Story continues below this adPatel was, with Divya Savlani, Jashpalsinh (Divya’s friend), Hanu Rana Chavda, and Viram Chotha Mevada, were booked for extortion, criminal intimidation and uttering obscenities.DySP Ravirajsinh Parmar of Junagadh Rural Division, said, “During the course of the events following the Mrugi Kund incident, Kirti Patel made some videos regarding the controversy and a man named Abjal Sida made videos saying that she was wrong. Kirti Patel then allegedly contacted Sida and threatened him as her follower count was decreasing. She then allegedly attempted to extort him of Rs 20 lakh for a compromise, saying that or else she would file a rape complaint against him. Sida then drank the liquid. This FIR, the third one in a week, was filed against her for extortion, and she was arrested in this case from Udaipur. The police received a one-day remand following which, on February 23 evening, she was produced in court.”The other accused in this case is yet to be arrested.Mrugi Kund controversyIt began with Kirti Patel allegedly taking a dip in the Mrugi Kund (holy pond) at the Bhavnath temple in Junagadh, on the occasion of Mahashivratri (February 15), in the midst of the Hindu priests including sadhus, sadhvis and naga bavas who had come from various places, were taking a dip in the waters. When objections were raised over her presence at the holy site, a police inspector asked her to leave the area, leading to an altercation allegedly caused by Patel, who later posted videos of her purportedly taking the holy dip on her Instagram account as well.Story continues below this adSubsequently, Patel was on February 16 booked in the first FIR at Bhavnath police station on the basis of a complaint by Police Inspector (PI) K G Mod. The FIR stated that after a procession by the sadhus, there was an aarti followed by a dip in the Mrugi Kund. Around 11:55 pm, when “YouTuber Kirti Patel” bathed in the Mrugi Kund, some sadhus raised objections.The FIR stated, “As part of my duty to avoid any conflicts, I asked Kirti Patel to leave the Kund premises and come with me. Then, outside the temple, Patel got agitated and tried to show supremacy over the police and threatened to kill me, and caused a breach of peace.”Patel was booked under BNS sections for obstruction of a public servant while they are performing their duties, criminal intimidation, and intentional insults with intent to provoke breach of peace.The next day, on February 17, Patel was booked in the second FIR, at the selfsame Bhavnath police station, this one on the basis of a complaint by Mahamandleshwar Swami Bajrangdas Bapu of Veraval, Gir-Somnath, who saw the influencer’s video of the purported holy dip with the religious persons in the Mrugi Kund while wearing saffron robes.Story continues below this adIn this FIR, which has been marked “sensitive” by the police, DySP Ravirajsinh Parmar of Junagadh Rural Division said that Kirti Patel was booked under BNS sections 298 (causing destruction, damage, or defilement of any place of worship or sacred object with the intention or knowledge that such action will insult the religion of any class of persons), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or beliefs), and 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community, and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony).Speaking about this case, DySP Parmar said, “On Mahashivratri, Kirti Patel bathed in the Mrugi Kumad and some sadhus opposed why this woman was bathing in saffron robes. Senior police officers asked Inspector Mod to take Patel aside and ask her about her actions. But she misbehaved with the officer and threatened to kill her, so the first FIR was filed against her. The next day, a religious leader named Bajrangdas Bapu saw her video and opposed her presence in the kund. He filed a complaint for hurting religious sentiments, against everyone there who was not a sadhu. But Kirti Patel is mentioned by name.”Asked about the legality of entry into the Mrugi Kund and barring people from it, DySP Parmar said, “The Bhavnath Mahadev Temple Trust holds the Mrugi Kund and traditionally, religious persons bathe in the Kund on Mahashivratri.”The administration of the Bhavnath Mahadev Temple Trust, located at the foot of Girnar mountain, was on August 1, 2025, taken over by the Gujarat government and is chaired by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Junagadh.