Sharmistha Panoli: Who Is The Law Student Arrested Over Controversial Operation Sindoor Video?

Sharmistha Panoli, a Pune law student, was arrested in Gurugram by Kolkata Police for allegedly posting offensive remarks about a religion on Instagram related to "Operation Sindoor."

Sharmistha Panoli was apprehended Friday night by Kolkata Police.

Source : x

Sharmistha Panoli, a law student of Pune, was apprehended Friday night by Kolkata Police from Gurugram for allegedly making offensive remarks on a social media post on Operation Sindoor. According to a report by India Today, she uploaded a video on Instagram that allegedly contained "disrespectful and derogatory" remarks targeting a particular religion. The video was later deleted by Panoli.

#WATCH | Kolkata: Sharmistha Panoli, arrested from Gurugram by Kolkata Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her comments on social media, produced in Alipore Court in Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/T1NQCruPAm

— ANI (@ANI) May 31, 2025

A complaint was filed at a Kolkata police station after the clip went viral on social media platforms, leading to outrage. An FIR was registered against her by the Kolkata Police.

"The case pertains to an Instagram video by a woman named Sharmistha Panoli that hurt the religious sentiments of members of a particular community," the report quoted a senior police officer as saying.

According to authorities, several attempts to serve legal notice to Panoli was unsuccessful as she and her family had allegedly gone into hiding. An arrest warrant was then issued by the court, leading to her arrest in Gurugram.

Who Is Sharmishta Panoli?

Sharmishta is a 22-year-old law student from Pune. She had deleted the alleged offensive post on Instagram and apologised for her remarks on X as well as on Instagram. Panoli was produced before a Gurugram court and was then brought to Kolkata on transit remand, reports Indian Express, citing officials.

According to Hindustan Times report quoting sources, the social media influencer was lodged under sections 196(1) (a) promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community, 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens), 352 ( intentional insult with the intent to provoke a breach of peace), 353(1)(c) (statements that incite public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Panoli reportedly made her Instagram account private after the video went viral and deleted all her posts from her other handle.

Amid the ongoing development, the issue has become a top trend on social media platforms like X with hashtags like #ReleaseSharmishtaand, among several others.