‘Want justice…’: B’luru techie’s brother voices concern over lack of legal protection for men

BENGALURU: Bikash Kumar, the brother of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash who committed suicide, while seeking justice for his sibling, voiced his concerns about the lack of legal protection for men facing harassment. He said despite the gravity of the suicide incident, no arrests have been made in the case so far, and added that the family is committed to pursuing legal action.

In an emotional statement, the techie’s brother urged the government of India to recognise that men’s lives are just as important as women’s, stressing that laws should address harassment experienced by men as well. “I want justice for my brother. Laws should be made for the men also as they are also suffering from harassment. The government of India should understand this. A man’s life is just as important as a woman’s. No arrest has been made yet in the case. We will proceed legally”, said the grieving Bikash Kumar.

#WATCH | Bengaluru | Brother of Atul Subhash who committed suicide on the 9th of December in Bengaluru, Karnataka says, “I want justice for my brother…Laws should be made for the men also as they are also suffering from several harassments…The government of India should… pic.twitter.com/a6lyuXrAnp

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2024

Bajrang, a cousin of Atul Subhash in Bihar’s Patna said, “He was an engineer and working in Bengaluru. We were aware that he was being tortured by his in-laws, but didn’t know that he would take such a step. Before dying by suicide, he interacted with his parents. He got married in 2019”.

#WATCH | Patna, Bihar | Cousin brother of Atul Subhash who committed suicide on the 9th of December in Bengaluru, Karnataka says, “He was an engineer and doing job in Bengaluru…We were aware that he was being tortured by his in-laws but didn’t know that he would take such a… https://t.co/4vsupze0RS pic.twitter.com/2QuYGYIF79

— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2024

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Whitefield, Shivakumar, confirmed that Bengaluru-based techie Atul Subhash committed suicide in the early hours of December 9 following harassment from his wife and her family.

The DCP said, “Atul Subhash committed suicide during the early hours of December 9. A complaint has been lodged at the Marathahalli police station in Bengaluru regarding this. Multiple cases were running against him in Uttar Pradesh”.

“His wife and her family members demanded money from him to settle this issue and harassed him. For those reasons, he died by suicide. Based on this complaint, we registered an FIR against the accused. An investigation is underway,” said the officer.

In his suicide note, Atul Subhash called for justice, stating, ‘Justice is Due’ on every single page of the 24-page note. Along with his wife and her family members, Subhash also accused a family court judge in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur of not hearing him out, and an officer in the court, accusing him of taking bribes in front of the judge.

Subhash further described the instances that instigated him to take such a step. Subhash recorded a video describing his alleged harassment and asking his family members not to immerse his ashes till justice is served to him. His suicide note also had a message for his four-year-old son who he claimed had been kept estranged from him. The note also called for his parents to be given custody of his child.

The note and the link to the video were sent to the WhatsApp group of an NGO, to which he was connected. Subhash alleged in his suicide note that his wife had filed nine cases against him, including murder, sexual misconduct, harassment for money, domestic violence, and dowry. (ANI)