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4w ago

Influencer Sharmistha Panoli Remanded to 14-Day Judicial Custody Over Religious Remarks

Her arrest provoked BJP accusations of appeasement politics, prompted international calls for her release, putting free speech and religious sensitivity at the center of national debate.

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Social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli was produced at a court in Kokata on Saturday and was sent to judicial custody till June 13.
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Overview

  • Sharmistha Panoli, a 22-year-old Pune law student and Instagram influencer, was arrested by Kolkata Police in Gurugram on May 30 for a now-deleted video critiquing a Pakistani user’s denial of Pakistan’s role in the Pahalgam terror attack and slamming Bollywood actors’ silence on Operation Sindoor.
  • A complaint lodged at Kolkata’s Garden Reach station on May 15 led to FIRs under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity between groups, outraging religious feelings and inciting public mischief.
  • Panoli deleted the Instagram video and issued an unconditional apology on May 15, but was produced before Alipore court on June 1 and remanded to judicial custody until June 13.
  • Kolkata Police defended the arrest as lawful, pointing to failed attempts to serve legal notices, an arrest warrant issued for absconding and charges focused on hate speech rather than expressions of patriotism.
  • BJP leaders accused the Trinamool Congress government of targeting Hindu voices through selective enforcement, while public figures including Kangana Ranaut and Dutch MP Geert Wilders have called for Panoli’s release.