Law student arrested in Gurugram for remarks deemed hurtful to religious sentiments
Kolkata — A Kolkata court on Saturday remanded 22-year-old law student and social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with a controversial video she posted on Instagram, which allegedly contained derogatory remarks about Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
Panoli, who hails from Pune, was arrested late on May 30 from Gurugram, Haryana, by the Kolkata Police following a court-issued arrest warrant. She was booked under charges related to hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity between communities through her remarks in a video dated May 14, in response to a question from a Pakistani follower about India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Kolkata Police stated that multiple attempts were made to serve legal notices to Panoli and her family, but they could not be traced. Eventually, she was located and detained in Gurugram.
According to the FIR, Panoli’s video not only made allegedly derogatory references to Islam and the Prophet, but also criticised Bollywood celebrities for their silence on terror-related incidents. The clip quickly went viral, drawing severe criticism and sparking outrage online.
Facing mounting backlash, Panoli deleted the video on May 15 and issued a public apology on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that she had received death and rape threats as a result of the controversy.
While remanding her to judicial custody, the Kolkata court observed that “the content of the video appears to have caused significant communal disharmony and social unrest” and emphasized the need for “responsible use of digital platforms, especially by individuals with substantial public influence.”
The court further noted:
“Freedom of speech is not a license to spread hate or incite communities. Influencers must act with caution and restraint.”
Panoli will remain in custody until the next hearing, scheduled two weeks from now. The case continues to stir debate around the limits of online expression and communal sensitivity in India’s digital age.
