What the uproar over Atul Subhash’s death by suicide says about gender relations in India

On the night of December 9, a 34-year-old technology professional died by suicide in his home in Bengaluru. Atul Subhash left behind a video, an alleged suicide note and several letters that detail his embattled marriage and divorce proceedings.

The 81-minute-long video, in which Subhash accused his wife and her family of harassing him by demanding Rs 3 crore to settle the case, led to a social media uproar.

Several men’s rights organisations rallied around Subhash’s death, holding it up as an example of how laws against domestic violence and dowry meant to protect women were being weaponised against men.

Arun Murty, who heads the Save India Family Foundation, told Scroll that Subhash’s purported suicide note was a “manifesto in the fight for men’s rights”. Subhash was a member of Murty’s organisation.

A week after his death, his wife, Nikita Singhania, was arrested by the Bengaluru police with her mother and brother on the allegation that they had abetted Subhash’s suicide.

How has a single case galvanised audiences and supporters far beyond the fringe activism of men’s rights? Men’s rights activists say that Subhash’s death has struck a chord as it confirms the extent to which Indian men are being victimised by dowry and domestic violence laws.

Experts and gender activists, however, point...

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