A 22-year-old law student and influencer is at the centre of a political storm after being arrested for a video that drew outrage online.

Sharmishta Panoli, a law student at Symbiosis University in Pune and a well-known social media personality, was arrested by Kolkata Police from her home in Gurugram, Haryana. According to officials, she was taken into custody for allegedly posting a video that included comments seen as targeting a religious community.

Panoli, who hails from Kolkata’s Anandapur area, has over 80,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) and nearly 90,000 on Instagram. She had shared a video that criticised several Bollywood actors, particularly Muslim stars, for staying silent during India’s military action called Operation Sindoor. The now-deleted clip also included harsh and abusive language, which police said was “derogatory and disrespectful.”

After her arrest in Gurugram, Panoli was brought to Kolkata through transit remand. She was then presented in the Alipore court and sent to judicial custody until June 13. Police officials said the arrest was made based on a complaint filed at the Garden Reach Police Station, accusing her of promoting communal disharmony.

Although Panoli deleted the video on May 15 and posted an unconditional apology, it had already gone viral. Many users flooded her posts with threats and angry comments. Police say the language used in the video hurt religious sentiments and could have created tension in society.

The arrest quickly became a political flashpoint. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, calling the move an example of “appeasement politics.” International voices also chimed in, Dutch MP Geert Wilders tweeted in Panoli’s support and called the arrest politically motivated.