Delhi, May 31: A Law Scholar of a Pune University & Insta influencer Sharmistha Panoli was held in Gurugaon on Saturday for his hate speech that wreaked controversy.
The West Bengal Police arrested Panoli and produced before the court despite Sharmistha’s deep repentance and apology.
The female Instagram influencer was held for allegedly making communal remarks in one of her videos where she accused Bollywood actors of remaining silent on Operation Sindoor.
Police officials stated that Panoli had posted a video on Instagram alleging that actors from the Hindi film industry had not commented on Operation Sindoor. The video quickly drew backlash, with many users criticising her and sending threatening messages in the comments.
Following the outrage, Panoli took down the video and issued a public apology. However, by then, a formal complaint had already been lodged against her in Kolkata and an NBW was issued against her.Later, notices were served to her and her family, but according to police, which were left unresponded. Meanwhile, they became untraceable.
"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," a Kolkata Police officer told.
The incident began with a video shared by Panoli on May 14, 2025, responding to a question from a Pakistani follower regarding India’s military response after the Pahalgam terror attack.
In the video, she allegedly made offensive comments about Islam and Prophet Muhammad, which sparked widespread criticism online. She also slammed Bollywood actors for not speaking up against Pakistan.
The video went viral, and Panoli faced intense trolling along with death and rape threats.
Later, on May 15, Panoli posted an apology on X, saying: “I do hereby tender my unconditional apology whatever was put are my personal feelings and I never intentionally wanted to hurt anybody so if anybody is hurt I’m sorry for the same. I expect co-operation and understanding. Henceforth, I will be cautious in my public post. Again please accept my apologies.”
Following the moral threat, Panoli deleted the original video and later explained that her comments were a reaction to threats from “Radical Pakistani terrorists”.
She added: “Mere liye mera desh pehle aata hai” (My country comes first for me).
The issue escalated further when Waris Pathan, a leader from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), publicly called for her arrest.
He said: “No Muslim will tolerate abusive words about our Prophet.”
Acting on it, the police executed the warrant against Sharmishtha and took her under custody today.
