Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, May 31: Bollywood actress and MP Kangana Ranaut has called for the immediate release of social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli, who was arrested by Kolkata police for her alleged remarks against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Taking to Instagram, Kangana said Sharmishta had already apologised and shouldn’t be “bullied” by the authorities.

“She used unpleasant words, but many youngsters do these days. She has apologised — that should be enough,” Kangana wrote, urging that she be released.

Sharmishta had posted a now-deleted video criticizing Bollywood stars for their silence on India’s counter-strike, Operation Sindoor, launched after 26 civilians were killed in Pahalgam. The FIR filed against her includes serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including promoting enmity and inciting public mischief.

Operation Sindoor marked a shift in India’s response to Pakistan-backed terror, with nine military targets destroyed inside Pakistan's Punjab region, beyond previous strikes limited to PoK or Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. India’s offensive was hailed as precise, non-escalatory, and strategic, neutralising Pakistan’s Chinese-made projectiles and sending a clear signal to its hybrid civil-military leadership.