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Instagram influencer Sharmishta Panoli arrested in Gurugram over post on Operation Sindoor
The video Sharmishta Panoli, a student of Pune’s Law University, posted drew backlash, while she received threatening messages in the comments.
An Instagram influencer, Sharmishta Panoli, was arrested by the Kolkata Police from Haryana's Gurugram on Friday night for allegedly uploading a video with communal overtones. The video reportedly accused Bollywood actors of maintaining silence over Operation Sindoor, a military operation undertaken by India. She was traced by the police in Gurugram.
Sharmishta Panoli, a student enrolled at Pune’s Law University, made a controversial video on social media in which she criticised several Hindi film actors for not commenting on Operation Sindoor. Her post stirred significant outrage on social media. The video quickly went viral and drew backlash from many users. Several people trolled her in the comments, and she received numerous threatening messages in response to her remarks.
Facing heavy criticism, Sharmishta Panoli deleted the video from her account and issued an apology. However, by that time, the Kolkata Police had already registered a complaint against her. Legal notices were then issued and sent to her and her family members. However, authorities reported that Panoli had distanced herself from her family, reported PTI citing unnamed police sources.
Due to the inability to serve the legal notice, the Kolkata Police placed the matter before a court. Subsequently, a court-issued arrest warrant was granted against Panoli. On Friday night, she was arrested in Gurugram by Kolkata Police officials.
A police officer told PTI, “Several attempts were made to send legal notices to Panoli and her family, but they disappeared. After that, the police placed the matter before the court. The court issued her arrest warrant, and on Friday night, Kolkata Police arrested her from Gurugram.”
'Operation Sindoor' was launched by India on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists. The operation involved precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
(With PTI inputs)
