Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a video on Instagram saying he has forgiven the “misguided children” who abused him during the Jantar Mantar protests in Delhi, the woman who was booked for the offence apologised on camera.
The girl in the video, believed to be Ruchika Singh, apologised “to the entire country” with folded hands. “I am so ashamed that I cannot even lift my eyes. I am asking for forgiveness from everyone, please forgive me, please,” she was heard saying in the video.
She added that she came under the influence of “those people”. "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 promised she will “never do anything like this”.
THE WEEK could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
But, what has caused confusion is her age. In the FIR filed by Delhi Police, her age was mentioned as 25. But, in the video she said she is 15, which makes her a minor. Her mother, too, had apologised earlier.
Ruchika is still absconding. There were reports that she was working at a salon and was fired in June over an Aadhaar card dispute.
Modi, in the video posted late on Friday, said he and even his late mother was subjected to abusive at Jantar Mantar during the protests over alleged NEET irregularities, but asserted that dragging such "misguided children" into court would not resolve the problem and hence, he wanted to forgive them.
The Congress, meanwhile, took a dig at Modi, saying that while the country was asking the PM to apologise, he had instead "forgiven the country". Tagging the PM's video and post, Congress's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said in a post on X in Hindi, "Listen to this. The country is asking him to apologise, yet he has forgiven the country."
The Cockroach Janta Party had earlier questioned the FIR against Ruchika, asking whether there were "two laws" in the country and why similar action was not taken against BJP leaders and IT cell members accused of using abusive language.
"They have been using all kinds of words, not respecting women from any angle. And they proudly wrote in their bio, 'Followed by PM Modi'. Such people have abused girls. When will the case be filed on them?" CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said in a video on X.
The remarks came a day after a Zero FIR was registered at the Expressway police station in Noida against Ruchika for allegedly using abusive and objectionable language against Modi during a protest at Jantar Mantar on July 23.
The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Ghaziabad resident Smriti Singh under Sections 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), 353(1) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(1) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
