A wave of controversy has erupted in India after Sharmistha Panoli, a 22-year-old influencer and law student, was arrested after posting videos laced with derogatory language against Pakistan and Muslims while defending India's ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Panoli’s videos quickly went viral, drawing outrage online. While some saw her as standing up for India’s armed forces, others accused her of spreading hate speech and inciting communal sentiments.
The backlash intensified after she allegedly made disparaging references to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, prompting legal action under India’s new penal code.
Despite deleting the video and issuing an apology, the controversy only escalated, eventually leading to her arrest by Kolkata Police. She is currently in judicial custody till June 13.
What did Sharmistha Panoli say?
The videos by Panoli were reportedly in response to a social media user, believed to be from Pakistan, who questioned why India had opened fire on Pakistan without justification.
In a now-deleted video that led to her arrest, the Hindustan Times reported Panoli referring to Prophet Muhammad in a derogatory way in connection with the recent escalation between the neighbours.
In another video, the Instagram influencer criticised Bollywood celebrities for not supporting India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, using explicit language to describe what she termed as hypocrisy. After intense trolling, Panoli removed the videos and issued a public apology on May 15.
The last activity on Panoli’s public X account with over 88K followers is from May 15, when she issued the apology.
What are the charges against Sharmistha?
According to the Hindustan Times, Panoli was booked under multiple sections of India’s new controversial criminal code, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), that deal with creating disharmony based on religion or caste.
In a long post on X, Kolkata Police clarified that Panoli’s arrest was not unlawful and not because she was “opposing Pakistan”. They called this narrative "mischievous" and “misleading”.
Kolkata, a city in West Bengal province, is governed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has been opposing the federal government, the BJP and its politics, while the Hindu right wing has accused TMC of Muslim appeasement.
Free speech or hate mongering?
Following the viral spread of Panoli's videos, reactions were sharply divided.
While the opposition condemned her remarks as offensive and inflammatory, others–mostly sympathisers of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party–rallied in her support.
The hashtag #ReleaseSharmistha trended across social media platforms, reflecting the prevailing sentiment in the country, which came close to waging a full-fledged war with Pakistan last month.
Indian journalist and political commentator Indra Shekhar Singh, told TRT World that while free speech is important, it has limits — especially in a country like India.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this
Sakshi Maharaj, a BJP politician and lawmaker in 2015, said that if given the chance, he would install idols of Hindu gods in every mosque.
Yogi Adityanath, the present chief minister of India’s most populous province, Uttar Pradesh, a close aide of Modi, invoked love jihad and said:
“We have decided that if they capture one Hindu girl, then we will bring back at least 100 Muslim girls. If they kill one Hindu, then we will also kill 100. Our response will be a hundred times worse than their act.”
BJP’s Nupur Sharma made remarks against the last prophet of Islam and was not arrested and merely expelled from her position, even as it hurt sentiments across the Islamic world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself “made Islamophobic remarks” in 110 out of the 173 speeches he delivered during the 2024 election campaign, according to an analysis conducted by Human Rights Watch.
“Free speech is valid until it becomes criminal. Once it crosses into slander, defamation, or hate speech, it enters the legal realm,” Shekhar Singh said.
Singh warned that growing polarisation, both online and offline, could lead to deeper divides.
“It’s like a modern-day Crusade — religions pitched against one another. These incidents are symptoms of a wider societal illness. If we don’t act now, things will only get worse.”
Meanwhile, Prasouk Jain, a Delhi-based advocate, told TRT World that while Panoli’s arrest does not set a binding legal precedent, it may influence how similar cases are handled going forward.
Known right-wing figures also weighed in on the controversy.
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, and a BJP lawmaker, defended Panoli, stating that while the influencer's comments were "unpleasant", they did not warrant the legal consequences she faced.
The well-known Islamophobe, Dutch MP Geert Wilders, also criticised the arrest, calling it a "disgrace for freedom of speech" and urging Indian authorities to release Panoli.
