Jaanmoni Das responds after arrest over Modi remarks, gets bail: ‘I apologise, but…

Celebrity makeup artist and transgender activist Jaanmoni Das has been booked by Kozhikode Cyber Police over alleged derogatory remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his family. She has apologised for the remarks, saying she did not intend to hurt anyone and attributing part of the controversy to her difficulty speaking Malayalam.

Who is Jaanmoni Das?

Jaanmoni Das, 41, is a celebrity makeup artist and transgender activist originally from Guwahati, Assam. She is also known for appearing on a reality television programme and has worked in Kerala’s entertainment industry.

Although she is from Assam, Das is based in Kerala and has been associated with the state’s entertainment and transgender-activist circles.

She came into the spotlight in the latest controversy after appearing in connection with a protest organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) against an alleged NEET question-paper leak at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

What is the case against Jaanmoni Das?

Kozhikode City Cyber Police registered a case after a complaint from Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha state president Navya Haridas.

According to the police, a video connected to the CJP protest contained remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his family that were allegedly defamatory and capable of disturbing public peace.

The video was subsequently circulated on social media.

The police registered the case under Section 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to provoking with intent to cause a riot, Section 356(2) of the BNS, concerning defamation, and Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act.

Police said the offences invoked are bailable.

Who else was arrested?

Das was not the only person named in the case.

According to the police account, K.S. Abhin, 35, was accused of recording the video, while Sajith, 28, was accused of publishing it through a YouTube channel.

All three were issued notices, questioned by the Cyber Police and subsequently released on station bail after arrest formalities.

The investigation is continuing, including examination of the video and other digital evidence.

What did Jaanmoni Das say?

Das later apologised on social media.

She said she had not intended to hurt anyone and maintained that she was not referring to Prime Minister Modi’s mother.

She said she had raised a question based on information she had seen online rather than intending to make a personal allegation.

Das also said that her difficulty speaking Malayalam contributed to the misunderstanding. She acknowledged that she should have verified the information before making the statement. “I spoke in the Malayalam I know, such words should not have come out of my mouth, and I apologise for it.”

In a subsequent response, she reportedly described the case as retaliation for her participation in the CJP protest.

Why did the controversy begin?

The controversy centres on a social-media video associated with the protest against an alleged NEET question-paper leak.

According to the police case, remarks made in the video were considered derogatory towards the Prime Minister and his family and were subsequently widely circulated online.

The complaint alleged that the remarks had the potential to create division, provoke unrest and disturb public peace.

Das, however, has disputed the interpretation and said the case was linked to her participation in the protest.

What is the police investigation examining?

The Cyber Police are examining the original video, its circulation on social media and other available digital evidence.

Investigators will also have to establish the context in which the remarks were made, who recorded the video, how it was edited or circulated and the roles played by the three people named in the case.

At this stage, the allegations remain allegations and the registration of a case does not establish guilt.

Why has the case attracted attention?

The case has drawn attention because it involves a known transgender activist and celebrity makeup artist, a protest linked to the NEET issue and allegations concerning the Prime Minister.

It has also raised questions over the interpretation and circulation of comments made in regional-language social-media content.

The case has a political dimension because the complaint was filed by a BJP Mahila Morcha leader, while Das has alleged that the action was connected to her participation in the CJP protest.

What happened after the complaint?

Following the complaint by Navya Haridas, Kozhikode City Cyber Police registered the case and summoned the accused for questioning.

Das and the two other accused were questioned under the supervision of Cyber Police Assistant Commissioner T. Manoharan.

They were subsequently released on station bail because the offences invoked are bailable.

Das has continued to defend herself while also apologising for the remarks that triggered the controversy.

The case involves two separate issues that should not be conflated: what was actually said in the video and whether those remarks meet the legal requirements of the offences invoked by police.

Das has acknowledged that the words used were inappropriate and apologised, but she has disputed the interpretation that she intended to insult the Prime Minister or his mother. Police, meanwhile, have registered the case based on the complaint and are examining the digital evidence.

The case also highlights how comments made during political protests can quickly spread beyond their original context through social media. The investigation will therefore be important in establishing the exact wording, context, intent and manner in which the video was circulated.

The case is still at the investigation stage. Being arrested, questioned or booked does not by itself establish criminal guilt.