‘Judge laughed as wife said commit suicide’: Kin of techie who ended life

The family of the 34-year-old techie who allegedly died by suicide in Bengaluru has demanded justice for him and strict action against his harassers so that his “soul could rest in peace”.

Atul Subhash, whose body was found hanging at his residence, had left a purported 24-page death note, giving extensive details of what he alleged was years long emotional distress and harassment by his wife, relatives and a judge based in Uttar Pradesh, the police said. He also mentioned the multiple cases filed against him in Uttar Pradesh. The couple had married in 2019 and had their son the following year.

Following Subhash’s death, a case of abetment to suicide was registered against his wife Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha, father Anurag and uncle Sushil Kumar on Tuesday, a police official said. A police team probing the matter has reached Uttar Pradesh to question the deceased’s wife and her family members.

Subhash’s brother Bikas said, “I want my brother to get justice. I want this country to have a legal process through which even men can get justice. I want strict action against those sitting on a legal chair and doing corruption because if this continues, how will people expect justice…. Men may start feeling that if they get married, they will just end up being an ATM for vending money.”

A placard reading “Justice is due” was found in the room where Subhash allegedly ended his life. Before taking the step, he recorded an over 80-minute purported video on Rumble, explaining the circumstances behind his decision.

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In the video, which has gone viral on social media, Subhash can be heard saying, “I feel I should kill myself because the money I earn is making my enemies stronger. That same money will be used to destroy me and this cycle will keep going.” He sent his death note via email to several people and shared it with a WhatsApp group of an NGO he was associated with.

Subhash’s uncle Pawan Kumar alleged that his nephew was being harassed and tortured for money, and that he was also humiliated by his wife and the judge. “What has happened is very unfortunate. He was losing the case (filed by his wife). He was being tortured. They (wife and family) were constantly demanding money from him. To the best of his capacity, he was giving her money for child maintenance,” his uncle claimed.

Initially, the family demanded Rs 40,000 per month, doubled it later and then sought Rs 1 lakh on the pretext of maintenance for the couple’s four-year-old son. “His wife even said that he should commit suicide if he cannot pay the amount, to which the judge laughed. This really hurt him,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, Nikita’s uncle Sushil claimed innocence and said neither he nor any member of his family was present at the scene of the incident.

80-min ‘death video’

“I feel I should kill myself because the money I earn is making my enemies stronger. The same money will be used to destroy me and this cycle will keep going,” said techie Atul Subhash in an 80-minute video recorded before he ended life.