After a video of her profane remarks about Narendra Modi circulated, threats kept a teenager out of school and drove repeated moves by her family, The Guardian reported Tuesday.
The Guardian reports that she is 15 and refers to her as R. She attended a July 23 protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The Cockroach Janta Party movement called for action over leaked examination papers and for then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign. The president accepted Pradhan’s resignation July 25.
The Guardian says R does not leave home because of safety concerns and has not returned to school. It reported that she received rape and death threats, while her phone number and home address were shared online. R and her mother moved several times. Her mother’s tutoring income fell, and she sold gold jewelry to cover relocation costs, the outlet reported.
The Indian Express reported that a zero FIR was filed July 29 after the video spread. The complainant, Supreme Court advocate Smriti Singh Chandel, later told the newspaper that she had withdrawn her complaint. Delhi Police said Aug. 5 that it had not registered a regular FIR and was still seeking legal advice.
Chandel told Scroll that she had asked the teenager to apologize publicly. R appeared in an apology video, Scroll reported. Modi said in an Instagram post that young protesters who insulted him should be forgiven and guided.
ANI reported that Das called the use of police powers against protesters over abusive language unjustifiable. In separate remarks reported by PTI, he said an aggrieved person could pursue civil or criminal defamation proceedings.
R told The Guardian she hopes to do well in her board exams. The outlet separately reported that her mother is looking for work.
