Influencer, Sharmistha Panoli has dominated the headlines after she was arrested for her controversial remarks on Operation Sindoor, which took place just after the horrific Pahalgam attack. Sharmistha was detained by the Kolkata police on May 31, 2025, and she has been sent to 14-day judicial custody. The 22-year-old law student uploaded a video on her social media handle about Operation Sindoor, and it brought her flak. Later, she deleted the clip and issued a public apology, but by then, the case against her name had been registered. As she is now under judicial custody, Kangana Ranaut took to her IG handle and demanded her release.
Kangana Ranaut demands Sharmistha Panoli’s release after she was detained by Kolkata police for her controversial remark
Taking to her IG handle, Kangana Ranaut reacted to Sharmistha Panoli’s arrest over her controversial remark on Operation Sindoor. In her note, Kangana stated that it is agreeable that Sharmistha used some unpleasant words in her clip to express what she had felt, but it is also remarkable that such words are often used by youngsters these days. Kangana mentioned that Sharmistha had apologised for her statement, and that should be enough for that matter. Kangana further shared that Sharmistha shouldn’t be bullied or harassed any further and should be released immediately.
Kolkata police said Sharmistha Panoli had hurt religious sentiment
For the unversed, Sharmistha Panoli’s arrest grabbed a whole lot of attention. She apologised for her clip on social media, which ended up creating controversy, given that it reportedly hurt the sentiments of a particular community. According to Mint, police stated that Sharmistha’s comment caused hurt to the community, and the FIR was lodged afterwards. As per the police, the attempts to serve notice couldn’t become successful on Sharmistha’s part, hence, she, along with her family absconded. Police further confirmed that the arrest warrant was issued by the court, after which Sharmistha was detained. Police can be quoted as saying:
“The case relates to an Instagram video by a lady named Sharmishta Panoli that hurt the religious sentiments of a particular community. FIR was lodged in Garden Reach Police Station. Attempts to serve notice as per law couldn’t be successful since the accused, with her family absconded. Subsequently, warrant of arrest was issued by the court of law, based on which she was arrested from Gurgaon yesterday.”
What has Sharmistha Panoli said in her video?
Sharmistha Panoli dropped the video on her IG handle on May 14, 2025, wherein she reportedly talked about Operation Sindoor. If the reports are to be believed, she made some derogatory remarks about a particular community, reported to be Islam and Prophet Muhammad. She also talked about Bollywood celebrities keeping up with their silence on the same matter. After this, the video created widespread controversy, and Sharmistha had to take down the video. She later issued an apology, wherein she revealed that whatever she said in the clip was her personal feeling, and she would never cause hurt to anyone intentionally, thus, if her words had seemed to cross that line, she would want to extend her sincere apology.
Sharmistha further requested for understanding and co-operation from netizens and stated that she would be careful about her public posts. By the time she deleted the clip, an FIR was lodged in the Garden Reach Police Station, and she was arrested from Gurgaon. Her lawyer later appealed for bail from the court and mentioned that Sharmistha’s phone and laptop were also detained by the police.
What do you think about Kangana Ranaut demanding the release of Sharmistha?
Also Read: Influencer, Sharmishta Panoli Arrested In Gurugram For Her Controversial Remark, Court Denies Bail