A tragic incident occurred at Bengaluru on Monday that saw an engineer at his age of 34-Atul Subhash killing himself. Before killing, Subhash had raised shrill voices for men’s rights, gender-neutral law in the country, and women’s equality on the Internet. However, several insightful comments by him from a period before death have muddled the waters of controversial points over his views as to how he was subjected to harassment.
Atul Subhash used to post about the plights of men in India– divorce, false charges, and legal battles – across his social media network. One of his final X (formerly Twitter) posts was a grim snapshot of his despair. In a poignant message, Subhash wrote, “A dead man is requesting billionaire Elon Musk and US President-elect Donald Trump to save millions of lives from woke ideologies, abortion, DEI and restore freedom of speech in India.”
A dead man is requesting @elonmusk @realDonaldTrump to save millions of life from Woke Ideologies, Abortion, DEI and restore freedom of speech in India.(more) https://t.co/lCEvAoheu4
— Atul Subhash (@AtulSubhas19131) December 8, 2024
He also uploaded a 90-minute video in which he stated that his estranged wife and her family were harassing him and that they were responsible for forcing him to take the extreme step of ending his life. Atul Subhash described his case as “a legal genocide of men in India“ due to what he perceived as unfair treatment in the legal system.
Subhash‘s social media posts consisted of several re-share posts that supported gender-neutral laws and men‘s rights activism. One of hisposts was a post by Tamil actor Karthi, who, on International Men‘s Day, vowed to “oppose false cases“ against men. This message by Karthi,urging people to respect and support men, had struck a chord with Subhash, who re-shared the post in support of the cause.
Thank u so much @Karthi_Offl na for speaking against #FalseRapeCases by Women. Gender Neutral Laws r indeed need of the hour#RealMenDontSupportFalseRapeCases#GenderBiasedLaws @Suriya_offl #Suriya #Jyothika #realmendonthurtwomen #protectempowernevernormalize#NoExcuses pic.twitter.com/05PHWjrwIm
— Vasu Ericsson (@VasuEricsson) November 26, 2024
“Real men don‘t support anti-male laws,” Karthi had posted, adding that men should feel safe and valued in society. Subhash seemed to relate very well to these sentiments, mainly for a world in which the hardships of men were understood.
Punishment is not the question, change of laws to be gender neutral is the need of the hour – criminal women know nothing gonna happen to them in India as long as freebies women empowerment exists.#BroVote #InternationalMensDay pic.twitter.com/FG7hq6igSN
— 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏 (@BerlinFamilyman) November 19, 2024
In his posts, Subhash also advocated for gender-neutral laws in India, resharing posts calling for equality in legal matters, including postings and selection processes in the Indian Army. He voiced his strong support for punishing women who file false accusations against their husbands, expressing concern over the societal pressure men face.
He also addressed the issue of men having to discuss their problems while speaking to them, reminding them, “Open up, don’t man up,” telling the fellows to open up about troubles rather than bottling them in as a result of being socialised.
Immediately after the demise of Subhash in the most heinous manner, an FIR under sections 108 and 3(5) BNS has been lodged at the police station against the wife, Nikita Singhania, and her members by the police after she had filed a complaint allegedly by Subhash‘s brother against his wife and her kith and kin who is alleged to have caused this tragic death.
The death of Subhash has ignited a debate on the internet, with some people supporting his cause and others criticising his approach to the problems he was facing. His tragic end has brought up difficult questions about the societal pressures on men and the complex dynamics of family relationships, especially in the context of legal battles, divorce, and false accusations.
As investigations continue, Subhash‘s death reminds everyone of the emotional and psychological toll that personal and legal struggles can have on an individual, thus highlighting the need for greater mental health awareness and support systems for people going through difficult times.