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The Kozhikode Cyber Police have registered a case against celebrity makeup artist and social media influencer Jaanmoni Das over allegedly derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She was booked a day after she publicly apologised and acknowledged that her claims were factually incorrect. The case was registered based on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha Kerala president Navya Haridas.
The controversy stems from remarks Jaanmoni made while speaking to the media regarding the recent student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in New Delhi. After clips of her comments circulated widely on social media, she posted an apology on Instagram on July 27, saying she had no intention of hurting anyone.
“I should have verified the facts before making a public statement. That was my mistake,” Jaanmoni said, adding that her limited fluency in Malayalam may have contributed to the misunderstanding.
The complaint alleged that Jaanmoni publicly insulted the Prime Minister and his mother. The complainant Navya Haridas rejected the apology, arguing that the remarks could not be attributed to a language barrier and warranted legal action. She also said the Mahila Morcha would file similar complaints at police stations across Kerala.
According to the FIR, Jaanmoni has been booked for wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot and criminal defamation, along with causing nuisance through repeated or undesirable communication.
In her apology video, Jaanmoni denied making any remark about the Prime Minister’s mother, saying she had merely responded to a question based on content she had seen on social media and had not intended to personally insult Modi.
She also said she had received threatening phone calls and messages from Kerala, elsewhere in India, and abroad after the clip went viral, and that she delayed issuing the apology because she was distressed by the backlash.
The police action against Jaanmoni comes even as no case has been registered against RSS ideologue and former BJP Intellectual Cell head TG Mohandas over a series of recent videos in which he advocated violence against the same CJP protesters.
In one video, Mohandas said he would impose a curfew, order the crowd to disperse, and then have police open fire if he were in charge, adding that “some may die” and “some may suffer injuries.” In another, he claimed that women participating in the protest “like rape” and would not complain even if mass rapes occurred. He also defended police violence against the protesters and encouraged the use of force against them.
Mohandas’s remarks have drawn widespread criticism and demands for legal action. However, no case has been registered against him so far.