Constable suspended and arrested for allegedly slapping Kangana Ranaut

A CISF constable who allegedly slapped newly-elected Mandi MP and actor Kangana Ranaut at the Chandigarh airport has been arrested and suspended.

The incident occurred as Ms. Ranaut was on her way to board a flight to Delhi. The constable, Kulwinder Kaur, claimed she was provoked by a past statement from Ms. Ranaut disrespecting farmers.

Kulwinder Kaur stated, "She gave a statement... that farmers are sitting there for ₹100. Will she go and sit there? My mother was sitting there and protesting when she gave this statement," referring to the 2020 farmers' protest against the three farm laws passed by the Centre.

During the peak of the protests, Ms. Ranaut had posted on social media claiming an elderly woman at a protest site was paid ₹100 to be there, a statement she later deleted after backlash.

In a video shared on platform X, Ms. Ranaut recounted the incident, explaining how the guard waited for her at the security check-in before hitting her and using expletives.

"I am safe... but my concern is terrorism is rising in Punjab. How do we handle that?" she said. The actor had previously faced criticism for calling the protestors "terrorists" in response to a tweet by singer Rihanna.

The farmers' protest that began in 2020/21 garnered significant attention both in India and globally.

Ms. Ranaut frequently criticized the protests, questioning their legitimacy and often attacking the protesters through social media posts.