The proliferation of cellphones and the internet has made knowledge more accessible to all. Anyone can now produce the stuff they desire. However, the line separating responsible and free expression is getting more and more hazy in today’s hyperconnected digital culture. This is best illustrated by the recent instance of 22-year-old social media personality Sharmishta Panoli.
In the context of Operation Sindoor, her purported tweet that contained offensive and divisive comments about Bollywood stars has recently gained a lot of attention. She was arrested for her actions in addition to becoming well-known. There are now rumours that she has expressed regret over the statement.
Sharmishta Panoli is who?
22-year-old Sharmishta Panoli is an Indian social media influencer and law student. She was born in Kolkata and is now attending Pune’s Symbiosis Law School to further her legal education. She was a law company intern at the time.
Panoli became well-known by posting content on social media platforms like Instagram that resonated with a large following. On Instagram, she has roughly 90,000 followers, including well-known individuals like actor Ram Kapoor. She has 80,000 followers on X, which was formerly Twitter.
What was posted by Sharmishta Panoli that resulted in her arrest?
Renowned for her frank views on current affairs, Sharmishta Panoli made headlines across the country on May 14, 2025, when she posted a contentious video in response to the Pahalgam terror attack and comments made by a Pakistani fan who supported the attackers.
Panoli posted a video in response to the Pakistani user who raised doubts about India’s military posture. In her video, she also criticised Bollywood celebrities for being silent regarding the Indian Army’s reaction to the terror attack, Operation Sindoor. But when she made disparaging comments against Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, everything went bad. This intensified the situation and made the problem worse.
Welldone Kolkata police ….Kolkata Police has arrested Pune law student and Instagram influencer Sharmishtha Panoli from Gurgaon, Haryana where she had posted a video criticising some celebrities, the Muslim community and making personal attacks on Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). pic.twitter.com/q6S6UhMZyL
— Md. Abdullah (@mda524360) May 31, 2025
Sharmishta Panoli expressed regret for her contentious post:
Sharmishta apologised for offending anyone in a tale she shared on her Instagram account after all of her postings were deleted. She wrote in her narrative,
I do hereby tender my UNCONDITIONAL APOLOGY. Whatever was put are my personal feelings and I never intentionally wanted to hurt anybody. So anybody is hurt, I’m sorry… Henceforth, I will be cautious in my public posts.
Sharmishta Panoli was detained for inciting hatred towards religion:
Internet users were greatly outraged by her viral message. The teenage influencer received numerous threats as a result of it as well. In Kolkata, Sharmishta was the target of five complaints in all. Ultimately, Sharmishta from Gurugram, Haryana, was captured by the Kolkata Police on May 31, 2025.
Sections 196(1)(a) and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (intentional and malicious conduct aimed at hurting the religious feelings of any class of citizens), 352 (deliberate insult with intent to encourage a breach of peace), 353(1)(c) (statements that provoke public disorder), and 196(1)(a) (promoting animosity between various communities based on religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community) are stated in the FIR, according to police sources.
Sharmishta Panoli sent to judicial custody till June 13.
She said, “The harassment you have done being in a democracy, this is not a democracy.” She is clearly under a lot of stress. She apologized and she is still getting rape & death threats.pic.twitter.com/Ix23wc5Plq
— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) May 31, 2025
Actress Kangana Ranaut and other internet users backed Sharmishta
Despite all of this, the case continues to circulate on social media platforms such as X, where hashtags like #ArrestSharmishta and #ReleaseSharmishta reflect the public’s polarisation. But a lot of individuals on the opposing side are standing by her in the sake of free expression. Many people publicly supported Sharmishta, calling the situation involving her “harassment.” Kangana Ranaut, an actress, also publicly endorsed her. Kangana wrote in her Instagram post,
I agree that Sharmistha used some unpleasant words for her expression, but such words most youngsters use these days. She apologised for her statements and that should be enough. No need to bully and harass her further. She should be released immediately.
Sharmishta Panoli’s legal team, meanwhile, asserts that her arrest violates Supreme Court regulations pertaining to multiple FIRs filed for the same offence. Muhammad Shamimuddin, her lawyer, further stressed that advance notice, as mandated by Section 35(3) of the BNSS, should have been given before the arrest, which they claim was not done. Kolkata Police issued a statement claiming that the correct legal process was followed in response to criticism. They added that she continuously avoided arrest in spite of everyone’s best attempts to serve notice. The relevant court issued an arrest warrant as a result.
Despite her apology, the case proceeded. The cops seized her phone and laptop for forensic analysis to determine whether any edited or obscene material remained. The matter will probably continue to receive public attention for a while because it is presently in court and an investigation is underway.
