Sharmishta Panoli has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
Influencer and law student Sharmishta Panoli has been sent to 14 days' judicial custody after her arrest for a controversial video that allegedly hurt religious sentiments.
The now-deleted video, posted on May 14, criticised Bollywood celebrities for their alleged silence on Operation Sindoor and included communally charged remarks.
Who is Sharmishta Panoli?
Sharmishta Panoli is a fourth-year student at a Pune law school, as per her LinkedIn profile.
She began her legal journey in early 2022 and is a social media influencer with over 94,000 Instagram followers.
Known for her political and commentary-style videos, Ms Panoli gained popularity for her strong views. After the backlash from her controversial post, she deleted all her Instagram content, including reels and posts.
What Did Sharmishta Panoli Say?
In her now-deleted Instagram video, Sharmishta Panoli made communally charged sentiments that became the central reason behind the outrage and her subsequent arrest.
The video was reportedly a response to a user, possibly from Pakistan, who questioned India's military action in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
She allegedly used abusive language in the video and criticised Bollywood celebrities and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia for their alleged "soft stance" on Pakistan, calling them out with strong, offensive language.
Sharmishta Panoli Arrest
After widespread backlash, Sharmishta Panoli deleted the video and issued an apology.
Authorities filed an FIR against her under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity between religious groups. The video sparked immediate outrage on social media, with many demanding her arrest under strict laws.
Kolkata Police tracked Ms Panoli to Gurugram after several failed attempts to serve legal notices, accusing her and her family of deliberately evading them. The court issued a warrant, leading to her arrest on May 31. The Alipore Court denied her bail and sent her to judicial custody until June 13.
Her lawyer argued that police had already seized all digital evidence and custody was unnecessary, but the court rejected this plea.
Kolkata Police said they followed due process and made a lawful arrest based on the court's warrant.
They charged Ms Panoli under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including promoting enmity between communities, offending religious sentiments, and inciting unrest.
