22 year old Pune Law student and influencer Sharmistha panoli’s communally charged video response to operation sindoor led to her arrest by the Kolkata Police in Gurugram. Panoli has over 175000 followers on Instagram and is known for making short form content, Reels, usually littered in abusive language. In a since deleted response video to a comment on her video during the Operation Sindoor discussion, Panoli was seen abusing the muslim community and even casting aspersion on the Prophet Muhammad.
Panoli, upon encountering widespread backlash for the viral video, issued an unconditional apology video for her actions but the damage was already done as hashtags like #arrestSharmishtha had already started doing rounds on the internet. Sharmishtha was also recieving rape and death threats by many online. All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) spokesperson Waris Pathan tagged the Union Home Minister asking for him to take action and arrest Panoli on the grounds of promoting communal disharmony. This led to Panoli posting her apology on X (formerly Twitter) accepting accountability and stating that she will be cautious in the future over what she posts publically.
Several FIRs were filed against Panoli in Kolkata prompting the Kolkata police into action. The Kolkata Police revealed that they had attempted to serve notice to both Panoli and her family several times but were unsuccessful due to them having absconded. Panoli was tracked down in Gurugram, Haryana and arrested. She was charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity, outraging religious feelings and inciting public mischief. Panoli was remanded to 14 days judicial custody on 1st June by the Alipur court.
Sharmishtha arrest has now turned into a political tussle with the BJP and Congress criticising the Kolkata police for their ‘selective enforcement’ and the TMC party for their ‘appeasement politics’ celebrities like Kangana Ranaut and bengal leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikary were seen at the forefront of this. Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Mishra called the arrest an ‘assault on free speech’, arguing that Panoli’s apology and deletion of the video should have mitigated legal action. Kolkata Police defended their actions, stating that Panoli’s video violated legal boundaries by targeting a religious community, dismissing claims that her arrest was due to her anti-Pakistan stance or nationalist views.
