Operation Sindoor: Pune law student held for 'derogatory remarks' on religion in viral video
PTC Web Desk: A law student from Pune, identified as Sharmistha Panoli, was arrested by Kolkata Police from Gurugram on Friday night for allegedly posting a video on social media that contained objectionable remarks targeting a particular religion. The controversy stems from her response to a post about Operation Sindoor, a recent national campaign with religious undertones.
According to police sources, Sharmistha Panoli had uploaded a video on Instagram that reportedly included "disrespectful and derogatory remarks", which quickly went viral and sparked public outrage. Although the video was later deleted, it had already been widely circulated and triggered strong reactions online.
A formal complaint was lodged at a police station in Kolkata, following which an FIR was registered against her. A senior police official confirmed, “The case pertains to an Instagram video by a woman named Sharmistha Panoli that allegedly hurt the religious sentiments of members of a particular community.”
The authorities further stated that multiple efforts were made to serve legal notice to Panoli, but she and her family were reportedly untraceable, leading to suspicions that they had absconded. Based on this, a local court issued a warrant of arrest, which was subsequently executed in Gurugram.
Following her arrest, Panoli issued a public apology on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating: "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.”
The incident has reignited debates around freedom of expression, hate speech laws, and the responsibility of social media users when expressing views on sensitive topics.
- With inputs from agencies
