Kolkata Police on Friday night arrested Instagram influencer Sharmishtha Panoli from Gurugram for allegedly posting a controversial and communally provocative video on social media regarding ‘Operation Sindoor’. She was produced in court on Saturday and remanded to judicial custody until June 13.

Sharmishtha Panoli, a law student from Pune, directly criticized several Bollywood actors in her viral video, questioning why they remained silent on ‘Operation Sindoor’. This sarcastic video quickly went viral, eliciting mixed reactions. Many strongly opposed and trolled the video, while some began issuing counter-threats.

Under pressure, Sharmishtha Panoli deleted the video and later apologized. However, by then, Kolkata Police had already initiated legal action against her. The police sent multiple legal notices to her and her family. However, PTI sources indicate that Panoli was reportedly not in contact with her family, preventing the notice from reaching her.

Subsequently, the police approached the court, which issued an arrest warrant in her name. Accordingly, a team from Kolkata Police arrested her from Gurugram on Friday night.

A police official told PTI, “We tried to send notices to Panoli and her family multiple times, but contact could not be established. Following this, an arrest warrant was issued with court permission. She was arrested from Gurugram on Friday night.”

It is worth noting that ‘Operation Sindoor’ was conducted on May 7, 2025. This military operation was launched by India in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, mostly tourists. The operation targeted terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Sharmishtha Panoli is currently in judicial custody until June 13. Police sources confirm that the investigation into the case is ongoing. Will this arrest set a precedent against provocative posts on social media?