NEW DELHI: Ruchika Singh, Noida resident accused of using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar, has released a video apologising with folded hands, claiming she is 15 years old.In the video, Singh says she had gone to Connaught Place with friends. She claims the atmosphere and the people around her prompted her to make comments that later went viral.“I went to visit CP with my friends. There was a protest going on, and many groups had gathered there. People were saying all sorts of things, including filthy abuses against the Prime Minister. I got influenced because they told me to say something too. I was impressed and ended up saying a lot of things. I’m just 15 years old,” she says in the video.Calling her remarks “unforgivable”, Singh says she regrets what she said and insists she never uploaded the original clip.“What I did is unforgivable. I said something very vulgar. But this is my first and last mistake. I will never do something like that again. I never posted that video. I want to say sorry to the entire nation. I can’t even look up. Please forgive me. Please,” she says.The apology comes as Delhi Police examines a Zero FIR registered against Singh over the alleged remarks made during the Jantar Mantar protest. The case was transferred from Noida to Delhi as the alleged offence occurred in the national capital.The controversy also prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appeal for leniency. In a video message on Friday, he described the abuse directed at him and, he said, his late mother as “a cultural shock”, but urged people not to seek punitive action against the young protesters.“They abused not only me but also my late mother. It was such a vile thing. But mistakes happen at a young age, and this is also an opportunity to correct those mistakes,” Modi said.Calling them “misguided children”, the Prime Minister said they should be guided instead of punished.“I want to forgive them. Society should also accept my decision,” he said, adding that making young people run from one court to another would not solve the larger problem. “These children have lost their way. It is our responsibility to show them the right path.”
