Kangana Ranaut urges Mamata Banerjee to do something on Sharmishta Panoli’s arrest

Ranaut told Banerjee, “Don’t turn Bengal into North Korea.”

Sharmishta Panoli, who is an Instagram influencer on Friday night, was arrested from Haryana’s Gurugram by Kolkata Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. She allegedly made comments in a video that was produced in court in Kolkata on Saturday. MP Kangana Ranaut of BJP on Sunday called the arrest of the content creator by the West Bengal Police harassment and urged CM Mamata Banerjee-led government not to turn the state into “North Korea.”

Kangana Ranaut reacts to Sharmishta Panoli’s arrest.

Late Friday night, Sharmishta Panoli was arrested from Haryana’s Gurugram by Kolkata Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her ‘communal’ comments in a now-deleted video on her social media. She was then sent to judicial custody till June 13 after being brought from Gurugram to Kolkata on Saturday. Reacting to her arrest, Kangana Ranaut said that harassing someone in the name of law and order isn’t good. She said, “When someone has apologised and deleted the post, but 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.”

Kangana Ranaut urges Mamata Banerjee not to turn Bengal into North Korea.

The actress and MP said, “Everyone has democratic rights. She has apologised for her indecent remarks. 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…,”

More politicians have extended their support to the social media’ influencer’ and appealed to the West Bengal government to release her. Pawan Kalyan, Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, on Saturday appealed to West Bengal Police to act “justly” in the case of Sharmishta Panoli. He said, “Blasphemy must be condemned”, but secularism should not be used as a “shield.” He wrote on X, “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.”