Pune law student Sharmishta Panoli arrested by Kolkata Police for making communal remarks: This insta video statement led to her arrest

Sharmishta Panoli, a Kolkata-based Instagram influencer, was arrested on Friday for allegedly making communal and provocative statements online. She was produced before the Alipore Court, which remanded her to 14 days of judicial custody.

Sharmistha Panoli's instagram video led to FIR and arrest

The arrest followed a now-deleted video posted by Panoli on Instagram, which police said contained remarks that hurt the religious sentiments of a specific community. The FIR was lodged at Garden Reach Police Station in Kolkata.

Initial attempts to serve her a legal notice failed, as authorities said she had gone into hiding with her family. A court then issued a warrant for her arrest. She was taken into custody from Gurgaon on Thursday.


Her lawyer, Md Samimuddin, confirmed that a bail application has been filed.

Kolkata Police denies claims of unlawful arrest of Pune Law student Sharmistha Panoli

Some social media users claimed the arrest was unlawful. In response, Kolkata Police issued a clarification on X (formerly Twitter), stating those claims were “factually incorrect” and “misleading.”

Sharmistha Panoli's video under investigation

In the video, Panoli responded to a user allegedly from Pakistan who questioned India’s military action. She said,

"Earlier, I believed such ideas of heavenly rewards were unrealistic, but this woman seems even more out of touch for claiming India attacked Pakistan without provocation."

She also referred to the Pahalgam terror attack and said,
“We are not the devotees of Mahatma Gandhi anymore.”

In another deleted video, Panoli allegedly criticised actor and YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, accusing him of being soft on Pakistan after the attack. She reportedly used explicit language in that clip.

Pune Law Student Sharmistha Panoli Booked under multiple legal sections

Police said Panoli has been charged under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita:

Section 196(1)(a): Promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, caste, language, or place of birth

Section 299: Acts intended to hurt religious sentiments

Section 352: Intentional insult meant to provoke breach of peace

Section 353(1)(c): Statements likely to incite public disorder or mischief

The case has drawn wide attention across media platforms, amid ongoing national discussions on speech, online content, and communal sensitivity.