Woman booked over remarks against PM Modi during CJP paper leak protest in Delhi
New Delhi: A 25-year-old woman has been booked by police after allegedly making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest over the alleged paper leak organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
According to police, the alleged incident took place on July 23 during the demonstration. A complaint was later filed, claiming that the remarks insulted the dignity of the Prime Minister’s office and had the potential to create public disharmony and disturb peace.
A Zero FIR was registered at the Expressway Police Station in Noida under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to provoking a breach of peace, statements leading to public mischief and defamation. The case has now been transferred to Parliament Street Police Station in Delhi for further investigation.
CJP reacts to FIR
Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das said the language used by the woman may have been inappropriate but questioned the decision to initiate criminal proceedings.
He said, “Of course, if there’s any language that was used which is derogatory in nature, then the person concerned is free to pursue civil defamation and criminal defamation against the person. However, the use of criminal machinery to go against protesters is highly condemnable and no one should be punished for any objectionable language per se.”
Das added that while people should be careful with their words, criminal action should not be used in such situations.
He further said, “I’m not saying that the language is right. The language may be wrong, it may be objectionable to someone, but it is no reason to invoke the criminal machinery against such people. It leads to a chilling effect. I don’t think this is acceptable to anybody, especially to the younger generation.”
He also urged the police to act impartially, saying, “We would also like to tell the police to maintain calm and not misuse their powers for any political ends.”
Government clarifies stance
The development came shortly after the Delhi government announced that legal proceedings would not continue against those arrested during the protests, except in cases involving individuals with a criminal background.
Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood said the government supported the students while making it clear that action would be taken against anyone with criminal antecedents who allegedly used the protests to spread violence.
He said, “We stand with the students, and it is in that spirit that we issued this order. Our government has honoured its commitment to them. However, if any anti-social elements with criminal antecedents used the student protest as an opportunity to spread violence, action will be taken against them.”
Police have not announced any arrests in connection with the latest case. Officials said the Parliament Street Police Station will now investigate the allegations and determine the next course of action based on the evidence collected.