Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Saturday appealed to West Bengal Police to act “justly” in the case of social media content creator and influencer Sharmishta Panoli, who was arrested from Haryana’s Gurugram for allegedly sharing a communal video.The deputy chief minister asserted that “blasphemy must be condemned” but secularism should not be used as a “shield”.“Blasphemy must be condemned, always! Secularism isn’t a shield for some and a sword for others. It must be a two-way street. West Bengal Police, the nation is watching. Act justly for all,” said Kalyan in a post on X.Sharmishta, a law student, spoke out “regrettable and hurtful words on some” with regard to Operation Sindoor, said the actor–politician.“She owned her mistake, deleted the video and apologized. The WB (West Bengal) Police swiftly acted, taking action against Sharmishta,” claimed Kalyan.But what about the deep, searing pain inflicted upon millions when the elected leaders, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs mock Sanatana Dharma, he said.Where is the outrage when our faith is called ‘Gandha Dharm’? Where is their apology? Where is their swift arrest? asked the founder of the Janasena Party (JSP), an ally of the BJP.Meanwhile, Actor and BJP Lok Sabha MP Kangana Ranaut on Sunday strongly criticised the arrest of Panoli , calling it an excessive response to a now-deleted video that allegedly hurt religious sentiments.”Harassing someone in the name of law and order is not good,” Ranaut said. “When someone has apologised and deleted the post, putting her in prison, torturing her, ending her career and raising questions on her character is very wrong. This should not happen with any daughter.”In a pointed criticism of the West Bengal administration, the actor added, “I urge the West Bengal government not to try to make the state into North Korea. Everyone has democratic rights.”Ranaut also defended Panoli’s tone and language, saying, “She had said everything in general, and today’s generation uses such language very normally—both in English and in Hindi. She should be released soon because she is a very young woman. She has her whole career and life ahead of her.”#WATCH | Delhi: On the arrest of Sharmistha Panoli from Gurugram by Kolkata Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her comments on social media, actor Kangana Ranaut says, "Harassing someone in the name of law and order is not good. When someone has apologised… pic.twitter.com/SEtPALH9lH— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2025 A Kolkata court on Saturday remanded the 22-year-old Instagram influencer to 14 days of judicial custody.Panoli, a resident of Kolkata’s Anandapur neighbourhood and a law student at a university in Pune, was arrested by the Kolkata police from her residence in Gurugram on Friday night.Panoli was produced in a Kolkata court on Saturday, where her bail petition was denied. She was sent to judicial custody until June 13.While leaving the court, Panoli told reporters, “The harassment you have done being in a democracy, this is not what democracy is.”The video in question, now deleted, allegedly contained derogatory and disrespectful remarks aimed at a particular religious community, according to Kolkata Police officials.The video sparked significant backlash online, with users trolling Panoli and posting threatening comments. She later deleted the video and posted an apology on social media.“Whatever was put are my personal feelings and I never intentionally wanted to hurt anybody. If anybody is hurt, I’m sorry for the same. Henceforth, I will be cautious in my public post,” she wrote on X.(With inputs from PTI)
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