PM Modi Forgives Youth Who Abused Him at Jantar Mantar, Asks Not to Punish

As police cases mount over derogatory social media posts from the students' agitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to "forgive" the youth who abused him — and his late mother — during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, asking society to "guide" them rather than drag them through courts.

In a late-night video posted on July 31, weeks after FIRs and notices piled up against protesters and social media users for defamatory content, the Prime Minister struck a conciliatory note. "I want to forgive them, and society too should accept this," Modi said, arguing that punishment would not "change the circumstances."

"Some shararati (mischievous) children gave vulgar abuses and used words that do not behove any civilised society. Not just me, my departed mother was also abused. One does not know the extent of this." — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

The Indian Express, which reported the speech, noted Modi's post on X carried the caption: "Abuses never solve anything. Let's guide the misguided. Let's work together. Let's work for Bharat."

What the Prime Minister Said

Calling the slogans a "cultural shock," Modi said he understood the aakrosh (outcry) in society, but insisted the path forward lay in mentorship, not prosecution.

"These children are misguided and it is our job to show them the way. To punish them, make them take rounds of courts and harass them, will not let us change the circumstances." — Narendra Modi

Using a teeth-and-tongue analogy, he argued that just as the tongue sometimes slips between the teeth but we don't break the teeth, "the children are also ours" — and must be shown the right path.

He closed with a direct appeal to the youth: "Come, let us move forward together for the country. Let's learn something new — let's learn even from our mistakes."

What We Can Verify

• PM Modi posted a late-night video on July 31 saying he forgave youth who abused him and his late mother during the Jantar Mantar protest, urging they be guided rather than punished. — The Indian Express
• The Indian Express reported Modi's X caption: "Abuses never solve anything. Let's guide the misguided. Let's work together. Let's work for Bharat." — The Indian Express
• The New Indian Express confirmed the video framed the students as "misguided children" who should be "shown the right path," and noted the prime minister referenced the "cultural shock" of daughters using such language. — The New Indian Express
• Telangana Today corroborated that Modi said his late mother was also abused at the protest site. — Telangana Today
• FIRs and notices over defamatory social media content about the PM during the agitation were earlier reported by The Indian Express; police in Delhi, Noida and Telangana registered cases over vulgar and morphed posts, with Meta India's head also named in a Telangana FIR. — The Indian Express

Context

The youth-led CJP protest at Jantar Mantar concluded on July 25 after 36 days, following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper-leak controversy. The protest's Sansad Chalo march on July 20 had spiralled into clashes with police, leaving more than 100 people injured. Slogans and social media clips from the site had prompted FIRs against multiple individuals, including a Noida woman, a Telangana Meta India executive, and others for "objectionable" remarks against the Prime Minister.

Modi's forgiveness overture comes as the legal machinery around those very remarks remains in motion — a gap the opposition has been quick to flag. Congress, in a jibe reported by Telangana Today, said the nation had sought an apology but the Prime Minister "forgave the country" instead.

Whether the FIRs are formally withdrawn or the prime minister's appeal remains rhetorical has not yet been confirmed by the government or Delhi Police. [unverified]