New Delhi : The woman accused of using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) July 23 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar has issued a public apology in a video that has gone viral on social media. “I came under the influence of those people. I am only 15 years old. Whatever I did is unforgivable. I said many wrong things,” she says in the video, calling it her “first and last mistake” and apologising to the entire country.
The apology surfaced hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a video message on Instagram on Friday, saying he had forgiven the students accused of abusing him during the protest. While describing the slogans against him and his late mother as deeply hurtful, Modi said young people should be given an opportunity to learn from their mistakes rather than face harsh punishment.
A Zero FIR was registered against Ruchika Singh at Noida’s Expressway Police Station on July 29 over the alleged derogatory slogans raised during the July 23 protest. The complaint alleges that she used abusive language against the Prime Minister, undermined the dignity of the constitutional office, and acted with the intention of disturbing public peace. The case has been registered under Sections 352, 353(1), and 356(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The Zero FIR has since been transferred to Delhi’s Parliament Street Police Station for further investigation.
According to security personnel, the apartment has remained locked since the protest, and officers have questioned residents as part of the ongoing probe. Reacting to the FIR, the CJP criticised the criminal proceedings against Singh. Party spokesperson Saurav Das said that while objectionable language should not be defended, criminal prosecution over such remarks could have a chilling effect on free speech.
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