Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued an appeal for restraint and compassion on Friday night — insisting that he “forgave” children who had abused him. There has been a slew of police notices and FIRs filed recently over derogatory social media posts amid the student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The video message came even as Meta said it was “cooperating” with the government over objectionable content targeting the PM and circulating on its platforms.

“These children are misguided, and it is our job to show them the way. To punish them, make them take rounds of courts and harass them, will not let us change the circumstances,” Modi insisted.

Referring to the incident at Jantar Mantar — part of protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged NEET paper leaks — PM Modi also acknowledged the widespread anger but stressed the need for a constructive response. The PM expressed shock over the language used against him, adding that such words “do not belong in any civilised society”.

“What happened at Jantar Mantar has been seen by the country and the world,” he said. “Some misguided youngsters used language that has no place in any civilised society. I was abused, and even my late mother was abused. It was a truly ugly spectacle.”

“Mistakes are made in childhood, and childhood also provides an opportunity to correct those mistakes. That is what being young is about,” he opined, framing the incident as a moment for societal introspection rather than division.

‘I want to forgive them’: PM Modi

PM Modi repeatedly stated his desire to forgive those responsible, appealing to the public to embrace the same sentiment. His remarks came days after Noida Police registered an FIR against a 25-year-old woman over allegedly objectionable comments made during the protest. Separately, Hyderabad’s Cybercrime Police filed cases against operators of several Facebook and Instagram accounts — and Meta’s India head — over morphed and derogatory content targeting PM Modi. Meta has since confirmed it is cooperating with authorities to resolve the matter.

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“I want to forgive them. I request society also to accept what I am saying. Punishing them, dragging them through courts and harassing them will not change the circumstances…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,” Modi added.

It was not immediately clear if the legal action taken against such critics in recent days would be dropped.

Meta faces scrutiny amid probe into derogatory social media posts

Meanwhile the Hyderabad Police registered a case against Meta India head Arun Srinivas on Friday. The social media giant has come under intense scrutiny over the past week as several Facebook and Instagram accounts allegedly circulated offensive photos and videos of the Prime Minister. Meta had also been summoned by the Central government after “erroneously” removing a video message from the PM on Tuesday.

“We are in touch with the concerned agencies and are cooperating with them to resolve the matter,” news agency ANI quoted a Meta spokesperson as saying.

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As per Meta, the case has sharpened concerns over how quickly such material can spread across social platforms, especially when it is linked to politically charged protests, and has also put pressure on Meta to show stronger content moderation and cooperation with investigators; as the company said, “We are in touch with the concerned agencies and are cooperating with them to resolve the matter.”

The Prime Minister’s statement also came against the backdrop of significant policy shifts. In the last few days, Parliament passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening the legal framework to prevent paper leaks. Former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned in late July as protests raged across the country.