NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to “intimidate” young people, after an FIR was filed against a teenage girl over allegedly objectionable remarks about the PM in a viral video.In a post on X, Kejriwal expressed support for the girl, Ruchika Singh, saying he would stand by her if she needed help.“What Modi ji did to Ruchika Singh is a cowardly act. By doing this to Ruchika, you want to instill fear in the youth. But the fear of you and your police has now been eradicated from the hearts of the youth. You intimidate one Ruchika, and ten more Ruchikas are posting videos against you on social media. Ruchika, I stand with you. If you ever need any kind of help, just let us know,” he said.The remarks come after protests led by students and young people at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in public examinations. The demonstrations ended with the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister and Parliament passing the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening laws against paper leaks.Earlier, Noida Police registered an FIR against the girl for allegedly making objectionable comments about Prime Minister Modi during the protest.On Friday, Prime Minister Modi appealed for forgiveness rather than punishment, saying abusive language never solves problems and urging people to guide those who have “gone astray”.Referring to a viral video, he said some “mischievous children” had used “very crude and abusive language” during the protest, adding that both he and his late mother had been abused.“I fully understand the outrage within society over use of abusive language and it comes as ‘a cultural shock to see our daughters using such language’ but there is a need to embrace these children and show them the right path.”The prime minister said punishing young people through legal action or social harassment would not resolve the issue.“I want to forgive them. Society, too, should accept this. I hold only one sentiment in my heart. Sometimes, our tongue gets caught between our teeth and bleeds, yet we do not break our teeth; after all, both the teeth and the tongue belong to us. These children are ours, too. It is our duty to show them the right path,” he said.
