Kangana Ranaut’s ‘slap’ incident brings back focus on BJP MP-elect’s post on 2020 farmers’ protest |All you need to know

Kangana Ranaut, the newly-elected BJP MP from Himachal's Mandi, again made headlines on Thursday after a woman CISF constable allegedly slapped the actor-turned-politician during a security check at the Chandigarh airport. 

The accused woman constable, identified as Kulwinder Kaur, was heard in the videos that went viral on social media, stating that Kangana Ranaut had made derogatory remarks about the 2020 farmers' protest, which had upset her, as her mother was also involved in those demonstrations. 

Later, the constable was suspended and placed under custody. An FIR was filed against her, and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) initiated a court of inquiry into the matter.

Constable's mother was at farmers' protest

In a viral video, Kulwinder Kaur was seen saying, “My mother was there," referring to Kangana Ranaut's statement saying women in the farmers' protest were paid ₹100 each to sit on Delhi borders.

“Kangana kehti hai aurate 100-100 rupee mein baithi thi aurate farmer protest mein, yeh baithegi wahan pe? Meri maa baithi thi jab isne bayan diya tha (Kangana said the women were sitting in the farmers' protests for ₹100. Will she go and sit there? My mother was sitting there and protesting when she made that remark)," Kaur said.

Kangana concerned over ‘terrorism in Punjab’

Following the 'slap gate' incident, the Queen actor expressed her concern over increasing terrorism in Punjab. The BJP MP alleged that a constable approached her from the side and struck her in the face before launching into a tirade of verbal abuse. When Kangana asked the constable for the reason behind the attack, the constable replied by stating her support for the farmer protests.

In a video statement posted on X (Twitter), after she arrived in Delhi, Kangana Ranaut said, “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. I am safe, but my concern is that terrorism is increasing in Punjab... How do we handle that?”

Kangana's 2020 post on farmers' protest

Let's rewind to 2020, when numerous farmers marched towards Delhi to protest against the farm laws that have since been repealed. During the farmers' protests, Kangana Ranaut stirred controversy by misidentifying an elderly woman at the protest as Bilkis Bano, a prominent figure from the Shaheen Bagh protests. 

In a tweet that has since been deleted, the actor alleged that the woman was “available for ₹100” to participate in protests. This declaration triggered considerable backlash and condemnation, leading to a heated exchange on social media between Kangana Ranaut and actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh. Dosanjh criticised Ranaut for disseminating misinformation and urged her to cease fueling tensions.

Despite Kangana deleting the tweet following widespread criticism, she received numerous legal notices demanding an unconditional apology for her ‘derogatory’ statement.