Police in India have arrested a woman who accused a man of sexual misconduct on a bus on social media, who then took his own life soon after. His family accused the woman of engagement farming with a spurious claim.
A public bus in Kolkata, India. Archive image from 2024.
The alleged misconduct took place on a public bus on January 16
An Indian woman in the southern state of Kerala was arrested on Wednesday amid an investigation into the suicide of a man she accused of sexual misconduct in a viral video online.
The case has evoked strong responses on both sides and a debate on the dangers of so-called “trial by social media” or by media more generally.
Local police launched a case on Monday investigating possible abetment of suicide. The Kerala state Human Rights Commission also ordered a police probe into the incident.
Claim and counter-claim
The 35-year-old woman posted a video online, which attracted more than 2 million views before she removed it from public availability, in which she said the man “deliberately touched me without my consent” on a public bus. She accused him of touching her breast with his elbow.
“This was not an accident or a misunderstanding. It was a clear violation of my sexual boundaries,” she said in the video.
In a country where sexual misconduct is widespread, the post attracted considerable attention and, in some cases, led to severe criticism of the man.
Two days after the video was published, the 42-year-old’s parents found him hanging in their house. His mother said he had been deeply affected by the public attention and had not eaten for two days and that he died by suicide the day after his birthday. She filed a criminal complaint, alleging that the claims against her son were baseless and designed to gain social media attention.
His accuser later posted another video defending her actions, but subsequently also made that private. Her more recent public posts on Instagram received an array of sometimes highly critical comments, including some repeatedly calling for “justice.”
“Abetment to suicide” can carry a jail term of up to 10 years or a fine in India, although the burden of proof is fairly high and the crime is more typically tied to people facilitating somebody’s desire to take their own life. Courts have in the past said there is a need for clear and explicit encouragement, beyond more simple harrassment, in malicious cases.
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