Kangana, Kalyan slam West Bengal cops over influencer arrest

VISAKHAPATNAM/DELHI: BJP MP Kangana Ranaut urged TMC government in Bengal "not to try to turn the state into North Korea" while Andhra deputy CM Pawan Kalyan flagged what he termed "selective outrage" as a political row erupted Sunday over 22-year-old social media influencer Sharmishta Panoli 's arrest by Bengal police for a controversial video post on Operation Sindoor .

Sharmishta, who is studying law, was arrested in Gurgaon on May 30 based on an FIR filed against her in Kolkata's Garden Reach police station, accusing her of "hurting religious sentiments ". She has since been remanded in judicial custody in Kolkata until June 13.

"Blasphemy must be condemned, always! Secularism isn't a shield for some and a sword for others. It must be a two-way street. Bengal Police, the nation is watching. Act justly for all," Kalyan said in a social media post. "What about the deep, searing pain inflicted upon millions when elected members, MPs of TMC, mock Sanatan Dharma? Where is their apology? Where is their swift arrest? She ( Sharmishta) has acknowledged her mistake, deleted the video and apologised," he said.

Kangana, too, stood up for the content creator, saying "harassing someone in the name of law and order is not good". "When someone has apologised and deleted the post, putting her in prison, torturing her, ending her career and raising questions about her character is very wrong," ANI quoted the actor-politician as saying.

The Maharashtra University, where Sharmishta studies law, has suspended and barred her from placements.