Meet Sharmishta Panoli, 22-Year-Old Law Student, Influencer, Arrested For 'Derogatory' Remarks

Sharmishta Panoli found herself in rough waters after her now-deleted Instagram video went viral on social media. The influencer was arrested on May 31, 2025, and, for now, has been denied bail by the court. However, her arrest has left the netizens feeling divided. 

The influencer, Sharmishta, spoke up on the Indian Armed Forces precision strike, and how several Bollywood celebrities maintained silence on it. However, according to several reports, her video had a communal overtone, which landed her in trouble. So, let's take a look at everything we know about Sharmishta and how she ended up at odds with the law.

Sharmishta Panoli is a law student

Sharmishta Panoli is 22 years old and a fourth-year law student. She is enrolled in the Symbiosis Law School in Pune. She was currently an intern at a law firm. However, the arrest might have just interfered with her career as a law student and an influencer. 

Sharmishta Panoli is a well-known social media influencer

Sharmishta Panoli has a massive following on her social media platforms. On Instagram, she has a following of almost 90k and is also followed by several famous personas, including actor, Ram Kapoor. While on X (formerly Twitter), her following is 80k. However, the young influencer has deleted all her posts on her Instagram and X handle, considering the situation at hand. 

Sharmishta Panoli was arrested for her comment linked to 'Operation Sindoor'

The young Instagram influencer, Sharmishta Panoli, was arrested by the Kolkata Police from Haryana's Gurugram on May 31, 2025. The influencer allegedly uploaded a video on her social media handle with a communal overtone. According to the reports, Sharmishta accused Bollywood actors of maintaining silence on 'Operation Sindoor'. Soon after, she was traced by the police in Gurugram and arrested. 

This came following five FIRs that were filed against, Sharmishta in Kolkata after her video criticising several Hindi film actors not coming forward in support of 'Operation Sindoor' went viral on social media. This created a serious outrage among the netizens after the post went viral. Resulting in the young influencer receiving numerous threats. 

As per police sources, the FIR was lodged under sections 196(1) (a) promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community, 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens), 352 ( intentional insult with the intent to provoke a breach of peace), 353(1)(c) (statements that incite public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Sharmishta Panoli's arrest left the netizens divided

Sharmishta Panoli deleted all her posts on May 15, 2025, and shared a story on her Instagram handle, apologising for hurting anyone's sentiments. However, she was arrested 15 days later and will be kept in judicial custody till June 13, 2025. While a video of Sharmishta has surfaced online, calling what is happening to her 'harassment' and not democracy, several users have come forward in support of her. Meanwhile, the case continues to trend on social media platforms like X, with hashtags like #ReleaseSharmishta and #ArrestSharmishta being a reflection of the divide in public.

What are your thoughts on Sharmishta Panoli's arrest? Let us know.

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