Kolkata Police arrested 22-year-old law student and social media influencer Sharmishtha Panoli on May 30 following multiple complaints against her for a contentious video related to Operation Sindoor. She was presented before Alipore Court and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

Panoli, a Pune-based law student with a strong social media presence of over 1.75 lakh followers on Instagram and X, faced severe backlash after uploading a video criticizing Bollywood personalities, particularly “The Khans,” for allegedly staying silent on India’s cross-border military action. The video, containing offensive language and communal undertones, went viral before being removed.

After deleting the video, Panoli posted a written apology online, expressing regret and claiming she never meant to offend. Despite this, an FIR had already been registered in Kolkata. Authorities stated that repeated attempts to serve her legal notices were ignored, prompting a court to issue a warrant. She was ultimately arrested from Gurgaon after being untraceable during earlier efforts.

Panoli has been charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including promoting enmity among groups based on religion, intentional insult to provoke unrest, and inciting public mischief.

Her arrest has sparked political reactions, with BJP figures like Kangana Ranaut, Amit Malviya, and Jan Sena’s Pawan Kalyan criticizing the West Bengal government and defending her freedom of expression.

Supporters claim her detention is excessive, while critics argue her remarks crossed legal and ethical boundaries.