Noida police file zero FIR over alleged abusive remarks against PM Modi at Jantar Mantar protest

Police in Noida on Thursday registered a “zero FIR” against a Faridabad-based woman who was allegedly seen using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video recorded during a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 23, officials said

Police in Noida on Thursday registered a “zero FIR” against a Faridabad-based woman who was allegedly seen using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video recorded during a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 23, officials said.

The FIR was lodged on charges of intentional insult, statements conducing to public mischief and defamation after a Ghaziabad resident approached the Expressway police station in Noida, said a police official. (HT Archive)

The FIR was lodged on charges of intentional insult, statements conducing to public mischief and defamation after a Ghaziabad resident approached the Expressway police station in Noida, said a police official who asked not to be identified. HT has seen a copy of the FIR.

As the alleged incident occurred in central Delhi, the case has been transferred to Delhi Police’s Parliament Street police station for further investigation, the officer added.

The video in question purportedly shows the accused using abusive language during the protest, and had been circulated widely on social media following the demonstration.

According to police, complainant, 32-year-old Supreme Court advocate Smriti Singh, a resident of Vasundhara in Ghaziabad, filed the complaint on Wednesday evening.

In her complaint, she alleged that the accused, while participating in the protest at Jantar Mantar, used abusive and objectionable language against the Prime Minister in public. “This act not only hurt the dignity of a constitutional office but was also allegedly intended to spread hatred and disturb public peace,” the complaint states.

Police said the complainant approached Noida Police because she believed the accused lived in Sector 168. However, during verification, officers found that although the woman owns a flat in a high-rise society in Sector 168, it is unoccupied and she currently resides in Uncha village in Faridabad.

Manisha Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police, Noida, said a zero FIR was registered at the Expressway police station on Wednesday night under Sections 352 (intentional insult), 353(1) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(1) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

“As the incident took place under the jurisdiction of Parliament Street police station in New Delhi, the case diary has been transferred there for further investigation,” she said.

Singh told HT, “Multiple videos of the woman are taking rounds on social media platforms in which she used abusive language against the PM and even his mother. It is unacceptable and tarnishes our country’s image. When I came to know about the posts, I approached the police to take action against her to send a message in society that abusive language cannot be used for views and followers.”