New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a late-night video message shared on Instagram, said he wanted to forgive the young protesters who used derogatory language against him and his late mother during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led demonstrations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, describing them as “misguided children” who deserved a chance to learn from their mistakes rather than face punishment.
PM Modi’s Message
Referring to slogans raised during the protest Modi said he had personally been abused and that even his late mother had been subjected to language during the demonstrations. He said he did not believe legal action or social ostracism was the answer adding that mistakes made in youth deserved understanding than punishment. Urging reconciliation over retaliation he said abuse solves nothing and called for guiding those who had lost their way than penalising them and for working together for the country going forward.
Background: The FIR Over Abusive Remarks
The Prime Ministers remarks came days after a 25-year-old woman from Noida was booked over objectionable comments made during the CJP-led protest against alleged NEET paper leaks at Jantar Mantar on July 23. A Zero FIR was initially registered at the Expressway Police Station in Noida under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to provoking a breach of peace statements conducing to mischief and defamation. The case has since been transferred to the Parliament Street Police Station in Delhi for investigation. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das reacted to the FIR though the partys full response has not been detailed in statements.
Context: The CJP Protest and Its Aftermath
The CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar, which included a 26-day hunger strike by activist Sonam Wangchuk and a July 20 “Chalo Sansad” march that saw a police standoff, concluded on July 25 after nearly five weeks of demonstrations. The agitation ultimately led to the resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the Centre’s agreement to key CJP demands, including reforms to improve transparency and accountability in the examination system — developments that later fed into the passage of the Public Examinations Amendment Bill.
Related Developments
The controversy has also intersected with a separate case involving Meta India, after the Prime Minister’s own video message was reportedly removed from Facebook, and the company’s India head faced an FIR over allegedly AI-generated content targeting the PM circulated during the same protest period.
Note: This report is based on statements shared by the Prime Minister and information available at the time of publication. Legal proceedings related to the FIR are ongoing.
