Forced Relocations and Safety Fears. The 15-year-old girl from Noida, who faced a massive backlash and a Zero FIR for allegedly making remarks against PM Modi during demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, has been forced to relocate three times along with her mother. The Times of India reported that the family's predicament began when a video of the minor being dragged away from the protest site went viral on social media.
Advocate Anil Kumar, the teenager's lawyer, said that constant security threats, unauthorized visits by strangers and police officers to their house, and the media’s public exposure of their home address made the family live in constant fear for their safety. These combined pressures forced the single mother and her daughter to leave their Noida residence in search of safe shelter. At first, they sought refuge at a relative’s house in Faridabad, but the threats and the scrutiny forced them to move again to a new home to be safe. Meanwhile, the teenager’s mother sent her video to the Prime Minister, asking for a ban on social media for children aged ten to twelve years, expressing gratitude for his forgiveness, and even suggesting that he adopt her daughter.
Legal Challenges and Discrepancies Surrounding the Minor. The legal team for the teenager has staunchly contested the legitimacy of the Zero FIR filed against her. The minor was only fourteen years old when the case was registered on July 29, advocate Kumar said, and celebrated her fifteenth birthday a week later on August 1.
Despite the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s strict provisions regarding intentional insult, public mischief, and defamation, the initial FIR did not mention her juvenile status, he said. Also, the defense said, viral social media reports branding her as a twenty-five-year-old salon worker were false. She is now a Class ten student attending an open school in Delhi, and her mother provides private tuition classes to sustain the family.
The Protests and Police Action. The controversy started when videos of youth-led demonstrations organized by the Cockroach Janta Party—which protested against competitive examination paper leaks—were shared widely on the internet. Due to complaints about abusive remarks made at the site, Noida Police filed a Zero FIR before moving the case files to Parliament Street Police Station in Delhi due to jurisdictional divides.
While a Zero FIR allows law enforcement to lodge complaints immediately, sources said Delhi Police has not yet converted the document into a regular FIR. So far, questions about the withdrawal of formal cases are premature, the government said. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi once pointed out, the insults against him and his late mother were painful, but young people need forgiveness and guidance. But civil society voices such as Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das have protested the use of criminal law against young demonstrators in the past and are seeking to put a stop to the harassment of protesting youth as political and legislative developments unfold following the conclusion of the capital demonstrations.
