Kangana Ranaut slapped: What had BJP MP-elect said on farmers protest?

Bollywood actor and BJP MP-elect Kangana Ranaut was allegedly slapped by a CISF personnel at Chandigarh airport on Thursday. The altercation occurred near the security check area as Ranaut was preparing to board Vistara flight UK707 to Delhi.

"I am getting a lot of phone calls, from the media as well as my well-wishers. First of all, I am safe, I am perfectly fine," Kangana Ranaut said in a video.

“As soon as I came out after the security check, the lady in the second cabin, a CISF security staff came from the side, hit me on my face and started abusing me. When I asked her why she did so, she said that she supports farmers' protest,” she added. “I am safe but I am concerned about the terrorism and extremism that is increasing in Punjab.”

The CISF personnel has been identified as Kulwinder Kaur, who, in a viral video, was heard taking strong objection to Kangana Ranaut's controversial remarks during the farmers' protest.

“She gave a statement that the farmers are sitting there for ₹100. Will she go and sit there? My mother was sitting there and protesting when she gave this statement,” Kaur said.

The constable has been suspended and an FIR lodged against her, officials said.

CISF constable allegedly assaulted Kangana while frisking her at the airport before she boarded her flight.

"Kangana was slapped," one of the actor's aides claimed.

"From what it appears, she was slapped for the Khalistani comments she made during the farmers' agitation but we do not know the whole incident yet," the aide said.

Kaur was immediately detained after the incident while Kangana boarded her flight as per schedule.

What is the controversy?

Kangana Ranaut had courted controversy with her tweet during the farmers' protests, where she mistakenly identified an elderly woman at the protest as Bilkis Bano, a prominent figure from the Shaheen Bagh protests. Ranaut claimed that the woman was "available for ₹100" to participate in protests. The incident also resulted in a public spat on Twitter between Ranaut and singer Diljit Dosanjh, who criticised her for spreading misinformation and encouraged her to stop inciting tension. While Kangana Ranaut later deleted the tweet, she was served legal notices seeking an unconditional apology for her “derogatory” remark.

Former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar reacts

Former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar called the incident "unfortunate" and said security personnel should not have anything to do with subjects of people's sentiments.

"It is an unfortunate incident. The job of security agencies is to provide security. They should not have anything to do with subjects of people sentiments. The CISF department should look into it. As far as I know, the female constable has been arrested. It is a matter of indiscipline."