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Bengaluru techie suicide: All you need to know | Bengaluru News - Times of India

BENGALURU: The death by suicide of an automobile company executive, which sent shockwaves on Monday, has taken an intriguing turn as it occurred against the backdrop of an ongoing family court battle. It is alleged that he took the extreme step as his wife and in-laws demanded ?3 crore to withdraw the cases filed against him and ?30 lakh for visitation rights to see his son. The incident came to light when Atul sent an email to an NGO working for men facing domestic violence cases and related matters, stating that he had had enough and was going to die by suicide. The email, sent post-Sunday night, prompted NGO staff to alert the police control room in the early hours. Based on the details shared by the NGO, police reached the flat and broke open the door, where they found Atul's body in the bedroom. A complaint was lodged by Bikas Kumar, the 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, her brother Anurag, and her uncle Sushil Singhania. "My brother (Atul) was mentally and physically exhausted ever since the court battle started. Every time Atul 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 visitation rights. This drove him to take the extreme step," Kumar told the police. Atul, 34, ended his life in his apartment at Munnekolalu in Marathahalli early 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 his life. In the death note, he accused a family court judge from Uttar Pradesh, where the divorce and child custody battles are being fought, of being biased towards his in-laws. The video Atul recorded before his death and sent to his loved ones has gone viral, sparking sharp reactions from netizens about men's rights and mental health issues. ??Referring to the demand for money, Atul said: "It is better for me to end my life as the money that I am earning is only making my enemies stronger since I have to pay them, and 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 to me to commit suicide." 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 until his harassers are punished. "Despite all this, 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, apologizing to his parents for not being there to take care of them in their old age. "Mere bachhe ko insaaf dijiye... bas aur kuch nahi chahiye" ("Give justice to my child. We don't expect anything else.") Bengaluru: "Mere bachhe ko insaaf dijiye... bas aur kuch nahi chahiye (Give justice to my child. We don't expect anything else)," said Anju Devi Modi on Wednesday, shortly before flying back to her home in Patna with the body of her son Subhash Atul, an automobile company executive, who died by suicide in Bengaluru due to alleged harassment by his wife and in-laws. Addressing the media, Atul's parents, Pawan Modi and Anju Devi Modi, said they have lost faith in the judiciary. "Once, while narrating his ordeal, Atul told us that neither the judge, the court, nor others, including the advocate, followed the prescribed law. Instead, they acted on their own. He traveled between the Jaunpur court (Uttar Pradesh) and Bengaluru at least 40 times over the years. When one case logically ended, his wife filed another. All these matters frustrated him. Around 2 am on Monday, he emailed his death note to my younger son. After learning of his death, we somehow managed to fly down to Bengaluru," Pawan Modi said. Atul left behind a 24-page death note, explaining how domestic issues, including eight police complaints filed against him by his wife and others, had driven him to the edge. The 34-year-old was found dead by police, who were alerted by an NGO advocating for men facing domestic violence, after it received an email from him about his intent to die. Asked whether the allegations made by Atul were true, Pawan said, "They are 100% true. In his video and death note, he might have omitted some incidents of harassment. But whatever he said is cent percent true. My wife, who panicked due to the developments and the cases faced by our son, was diagnosed with diabetes. Otherwise, her health was good. Also, my wife was upset watching Atul's wife's behavior. When Atul's wife was pregnant, my wife went to Bengaluru to care for her. But she was ill-treated by her." The suicide note and a recorded video, which have since gone viral, accuse his in-laws of filing eight "false" complaints and manipulating the legal system. He also accused the family court of bias towards his in-laws. He urged authorities not to allow his in-laws near his body and requested that his last rites not be performed until his "harassers" are brought to justice. No role in Atul's suicide: Estranged wife's family Nikita's family denied any involvement in his death. Her paternal uncle, Sushil Singhania, said in Jaunpur: "Neither I nor any family member was present at the scene. The claims made in the video will be addressed by Nikita shortly." He said the family had no contact with Atul in the past three years and added: "We are not guilty, and we trust the court to deliver a fair judgment."

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