The newly elected MP and actor Kangana Ranaut was allegedly struck in the face at a security check at Chandigarh airport by a female Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable for "disrespecting farmers."
Kulwinder Kaur, the CISF constable who smacked Ranaut has been suspended. A first information report (FIR) has been filed against her.
Kaur allegedly hit Ranaut, who recently won the Lok Sabha election from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, because of her previous comment on the farmer's protests. The CISF Commandant is questioning the constable.
After landing in Delhi, the star uploaded a video statement on the microblogging site X, in which she stated that she is safe. “The female CISF constable struck my face and started abusing me. She told me she supported the farmer protests. Although I feel secure, my concern is that terrorism is increasing in Punjab. How do we handle that?” the Mandi MP said in the video.
During the 2020 farmers' protest, Ranaut had confused a female protester with a Shaheen Bagh protester Bilkis Bano, an octogenarian who had garnered international attention during the earlier anti-CAA protests in December 2019.
Ranaut had posted a tweet in which she claimed that the 'Shaheen Bagh dadi' joined the farmers' protests and was “available for 100 rupees”.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the head of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, had stated that Ranaut needed to offer an "unconditional apology" in a week. After Twitter users pointed out that the two women were different, the actor later deleted the tweet.
Meanwhile, Rekha Sharma, the chairman of the National Commission for Women (NCW), announced that the panel has brought up the issue with the CISF and demanded serious action. “Those in charge of airport security are violating airport security themselves," she said.
The farm bill, which was introduced on Sep 17, 2020, was withdrawn nearly 15 months after the protests started. In November 2021 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the three farm laws at the heart of the fierce protests by farmers would be withdrawn.
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