Shabana Azmi Condemns Slapping Incident Involving MP Kangana Ranaut at Chandigarh Airport

GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 8th June. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi has condemned the recent incident at Chandigarh airport where newly elected MP and actor Kangana Ranaut was allegedly slapped by a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable. Azmi emphasized that security officials should not take the law into their own hands.

“I have no love lost for Kangana Ranaut. But I can’t find myself joining this chorus of celebrating ‘the slap’. If security personnel start taking law into their hands, none of us can be safe,” Azmi posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

I have no love lost for #Kangana Ranaut. But I can't find myself joining this chorus of celebrating "the slap". If security personnel start taking law into their hands none of us can be safe .

— Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) June 7, 2024

The incident occurred on Thursday when Ranaut, who won the Lok Sabha election from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, was about to board a flight to Delhi. Mobile footage that quickly went viral showed Ranaut being escorted to a check-in counter, where a verbal spat ensued. The video does not show Ranaut being slapped.

In a subsequent video statement, Ranaut expressed her concerns about rising terrorism in Punjab. “I am safe. I am perfectly fine. The incident happened at the security check-in. The woman guard waited for me to cross. She then came from the side and hit me. She started throwing expletives. I asked why she hit me. She said ‘I support farmers’. I am safe, but my concern is terrorism is rising in Punjab. How do we handle that?” she stated.

Kulwinder Kaur, the CISF constable involved in the incident, claimed she slapped Ranaut for “disrespecting farmers.” Kaur alleged that Ranaut had made derogatory comments about farmers, including a remark that farmers protest for ₹100, which she found particularly offensive as her mother had been protesting.

Kaur has since been suspended, and a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against her.

The controversy traces back to December 2020, when Ranaut posted a comment on X about an elderly woman protester, suggesting she was “available for ₹100” to attend protests. In February 2021, Ranaut called the farm law protesters “terrorists” in response to international support from pop star Rihanna, accusing them of trying to divide India. Although the farm laws were repealed in December 2021, Ranaut faced backlash, including an incident where her car was stopped by protesters in Punjab’s Kiratpur Sahib, demanding an apology for her statements against farmers. She was allowed to proceed after speaking to a few protesters.