Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Ruchika Singh, accused of using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the July 23 protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, has apologised in a video that surfaced online. The girl, who claims to be 15 years old, is seen in the viral video saying that she had gone to the protest with friends after visiting Connaught Place and was influenced by people around her who were raising abusive slogans against the Prime Minister.
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The video, which shows her with folded hands, has now gone viral on social media. However, India Today could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
“I came under the influence of those people,” she says. “I am only 15 years old. Whatever I did was not worthy of forgiveness. I have said a lot of bad things.”
Calling it her “first and last mistake”, she adds, “I apologise to the entire country. I am so ashamed. I can’t even look at myself. Please forgive me.”
The video 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 and urging society to guide them rather than seek punishment.
“The abusive slogans used against me and my late mother were deeply disturbing,” Modi said. “But young people should be given an opportunity to learn from their mistakes.”
Earlier, a Zero FIR was registered against Ruchika Singh at Noida’s Expressway Police Station on July 29 in connection with the alleged derogatory slogans raised during the July 23 protest.
According to the complaint, Singh used abusive language against the Prime Minister, allegedly undermining the dignity of the constitutional office. The complaint further alleged that the remarks were made with the deliberate intent to incite ill-will and disturb public peace.
Police registered the case under Sections 352, 353(1), and 356(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The Zero FIR has since been transferred to Parliament Street Police Station in Delhi, which will conduct the investigation and take further legal action.
According to available information, Singh lived with her mother in a housing society in Noida. The apartment is currently locked, and security personnel said she has not returned since the Jantar Mantar protest. Police have also visited the society and questioned residents as part of the ongoing investigation.
Reacting to the FIR, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which organised the protest, criticised the criminal case against Singh.
“Objectionable or derogatory language should not be condoned, but criminal prosecution over such remarks would have a chilling effect on free speech,” CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said. He argued that those aggrieved should pursue defamation proceedings instead of invoking the criminal justice system.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
