Delhi Police Opt Not to File Case Against Minor Accused of Abusing PM Modi
New Delhi: The Delhi Police have decided not to register a case against a minor girl who was accused of using offensive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a viral video, official sources said on Sunday. The video was filmed during a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar last month.
The Noida Police had earlier filed a "Zero" First Information Report (FIR) against the girl. A Zero FIR can be filed at any police station irrespective of jurisdiction, and is later transferred to the appropriate police station. The FIR identified the girl as a 25-year-old woman. However, in an apology video released later, the girl said she was 15 years old and asserted that she had made the remarks under the influence of "others" at the protest site.
"I am only 15 years old. Whatever I did was not worthy of forgiveness. I have said a lot of bad things. This is my first and last mistake. I apologise to the entire country. I am so ashamed. I can't even look at myself. Please forgive me," she said in the video.
The incident drew widespread attention on social media, with many users appealing for leniency towards the girl. Responding to those appeals, Prime Minister Modi said on Friday that he forgave "misguided children" who had abused him.
"Punishing them and dragging them through courts and harassing them will not change the circumstances. I want to forgive them. I request society also to accept what I am saying," he said in an Instagram reel.
On Sunday, the girl's mother appealed to the Prime Minister to direct the authorities to cancel the FIR against her daughter. She expressed gratitude for the Prime Minister's forgiveness, saying, "PM Modi has shown greatness by forgiving a daughter of the country who had used such dirty words. I thank him with folded hands. Today is her new birth. The prime minister has given her the biggest gift of jeevandaan (a new life)."
The mother also urged the Prime Minister to consider banning social media for minors. "My humble request to PM Modi is that Instagram and Facebook should be stopped for children under 18. They should be allowed to study only. They should not be allowed to protest sites. These children can be easily taken advantage of. They don't know anything about the world or respecting elders," she added.
The protest by the Cockroach Janta Party was held at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for over five weeks, with the group demanding accountability from the central government over the NEET paper leak. Thousands of people, mostly students, supported the satirical group's agitation.
The protest was called off last month after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the government agreed to other demands, including no coercive action against protesters.
With the Delhi Police deciding not to proceed with a case, the legal status of the earlier FIR remains to be formally clarified. The girl's mother has appealed for its cancellation, citing the Prime Minister's forgiveness.
