Bengaluru executive’s suicide allegedly over in-laws’ Rs 3 crore demand sparks outrage

BENGALURU: The death by suicide of an automobile company executive, which sent shockwaves Monday as it occurred in the backdrop of an ongoing family court battle, has taken an intriguing turn. It is alleged that he took the extreme step as his wife and in-laws demanded Rs 3 crore to withdraw the cases filed against him and Rs 30 lakh to grant visitation rights to see his son.
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A complaint was lodged by Bikas Kumar, brother of the deceased executive, Subhash Atul. Based on the complaint, Marathahalli police booked cases of abetment to suicide against Atul's wife, Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha, brother Anurag and uncle Sushil Singhania.
"My brother (Atul) was mentally and physically exhausted ever since the court battle started. Every time he attended the court hearing, he was mocked by his in-laws and told to die if he could not pay the money or pay for the visitation rights. These drove him to take the extreme step," Kumar told the police.
Read also: Bengaluru executive's suicide note
Atul, 34, ended his life in his apartment at Munnekolalu in Marathahalli in the early hours of Monday, leaving behind a video and a 24-page death note, explaining how domestic issues, including eight ‘false' police complaints against him, pushed him to despair. He also sent an email to an NGO fighting for men's rights, announcing his intent to end life. In the death note, he also charged a family court judge from Uttar Pradesh, where the divorce and child custody battles are being fought, of being biased towards his in-laws.
Meanwhile, the video that Atul recorded before his death and sent to his loved ones has gone viral, evoking terse reactions from netizens about men's rights and their mental conditions. Referring to the demand for money, Atul stated: "It is better for me to end my life as the money that I am earning is only making my enemies stronger as I have to pay them, the same money will be used to destroy me. This cycle will keep continuing. With my own money that I pay as taxes, the courts and the police system will harass both me and my family members along with other people. The supply of the value should be cut. Anyway, they (in-laws) have been suggesting me to commit suicide."
Read also: Bengaluru executive tagged Elon Musk, Donald Trump before ending life due to harassment
While appealing to the authorities to ensure that his wife and in-laws are not allowed anywhere near his body, Atul stated that his last rites should not be completed till his harassers are punished. "Despite all these, if the accused are allowed to go scot-free, just dump my ashes into a gutter near the court. This way, I can know how life is valued in this country," he said, apologising to his parents for not being there to take care of them in their old age.