A law student from Pune, Sharmistha Panoli, was arrested by Kolkata Police on Friday night from Gurugram. She was taken into custody after posting a video on Instagram that caused a lot of anger online. The video was her reply to a post on Operation Sindoor and reportedly had hurtful and offensive remarks against a particular religion.
Even though she later deleted the video, it had already gone viral. Many people were upset, and someone filed a police complaint in Kolkata. The police then registered a case (FIR) against her.
A senior Kolkata Police officer said the video had hurt the religious feelings of a community. The police tried several times to give her a legal notice, but she and her family were not found. Because of this, the court issued an arrest warrant. She was then arrested from Gurugram and taken to Kolkata, where she was presented in Alipore Court on Saturday.
Later, Sharmistha posted an apology on the social media site X (formerly Twitter). She wrote, “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.”
This case has led to discussions about freedom of speech on social media and how people should act responsibly online.
