Insta influencer nabbed by Kolkata Police over post on Op Sindoor, sent to judicial custody till June 13

Gurugram/Kolkata: Kolkata Police has arrested a 22-year-old female Instagram influencer, who allegedly uploaded a video with communal comments, claiming Hindi film actors were silent on Operation Sindoor, a source said Saturday.

The woman, a resident of Kolkata’s Anandapur area, enrolled in Pune’s Law University, was arrested in Gurugram Friday night.

She was produced at a court in Kolkata Saturday which sent her to judicial custody till June 13 after her bail petition was rejected.

The accused woman has been booked under relevant sections for promoting enmity between different groups, malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, apart from intentional insult, provoking breach of peace, a Kolkata Police officer said.

According to the local police sources, Sharmishtha Panoli was arrested for making a post on Instagram in which she alleged that the Hindi film actors were silent on Operation Sindoor.

The post was disapproved of by many, who trolled her and wrote threatening messages in the comments.

The backlash forced her to delete the video and issue an apology.

But by then, a complaint had been filed against her in Kolkata, followed by notices to her and her family.

When she decamped with her family, a court issued an arrest warrant against her. She was arrested in Gurugram Friday night.

“Several attempts were made to send legal notices to Panoli and her family, but they disappeared. After that, the police placed the matter before the court. The court issued her arrest warrant and Friday night, Kolkata Police arrested her from Gurugram,” a Kolkata Police officer said.

PNN

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