A group of activists, who have been demanding justice for techie Atul Subhash, found the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s cavalcade next to their car on the Delhi roads when they decided to draw his attention towards the matter, seeking help from him to raise the issue on a larger platform since no leader has spoken about it so far. However, the Congress MP heard them and responded by throwing a chocolate at them through their car’s window.
A 34-year-old techie Atul Subhash had died by suicide on December 9, accusing his estranged wife Nikita and her family of harassing him. He recorded an 80-minute video and wrote a 24-page suicide note, wherein he alleged that his ex-wife had regsitered multiple false cases against him and had also refused to let him meet their son. Subhash was found dead at his Bengaluru home, following which his brother Bikas Kumar filed an abetment to suicide case against Nikita, her mother, brother, and uncle. Nikita, her mother, and brother were later arrested.
The techie’s death triggered a massive debate on the misuse of laws aimed at protecting women, however, no political leader has yet spoken about the issue.
Lawyer-activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, who has been speaking against the misuse of anti-dowry laws, is now demanding justice for Atul Subhash. She has been arguing for many year that the laws meant to protect women are being misused by them to harass men and their families.
Bhardwaj on Thursday shared a video of the car chase saying that she along with some other activists were on their way to a condolence meeting in the memory of the Bengaluru techie when they spotted Gandhi’s cavalcade.
In a post on X, she said: “No Parliamentarian has spoken about tragic suicide by #AtulSubhash and the reasons behind suicides by so many men in India. When we were on our way to the condolence meeting in Delhi, we happened to spot @RahulGandhi on the highway and despite his entourage shouting at us, told him about Atul and the reason for his extreme step. Thanks to @ruchikokcha our driving champ, we succeeded in conveying the message”.
The video shared by Bhardwaj shows her friends in a car when they spot Gandhi’s vehicle driving parallel to them. Noticing the Congress leader, they start waving posters with Atul Subhash’s photo on it to attract Gandhi’s attention. They even shout Gandhi’s name.
Thereafter, the security personnel accompanying the leader tried to stop them from coming near te cavalcade and calling out Gandhi, but they persisted. Eventually, they somehow manage to draw the Congress MP’s attention and tell him to do something about Subash’s suicide. Bharadwaj tells Gandhi to look up about the case on the internet. After a few seconds of the two cars driving parallel, Gandhi hears them and then throws something into their car. The lawyer confirmed to NDTV that it was a KitKat chocolate.
“Though, we don’t know if he will bother to look at the case but at this point I just hope someone does and raise this in Parliament,” she said in her post.
No Parliamentarian has spoken about tragic suicide by #AtulSubhash and the reasons behind suicides by so many men in India
When we were on our way to the condolence meeting in Delhi, we happened to spot @RahulGandhi on the highway and despite his entourage shouting at us, told… pic.twitter.com/enxW3Ubbws
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) December 18, 2024
Narrating the incident, Bharadwaj told NDTV, “We spotted his cavalcade and thought we should try to tell him about this case. After a chase and a lot of shouting by his escorts, we eventually captured his attention. He asked what happened and we told him that Atul Subhash died by suicide and that we seek justice for him. I have dropped a message to his assistant and requested a meeting. We haven’t got a response yet”.
“It is important for the Opposition to hold the government responsible for pressing issues in the society. This is one such issue. I hope Mr Gandhi takes note and does something about it,” she added.
