From Shyam Sasidharan Nellayi
CALICUT, Jan 19 – A 42-year-old man allegedly died by suicide after a video accusing him of misbehaving with a woman on a bus went viral on social media, police and relatives said on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Deepak, a resident of Ullatthodi House in Govindapuram near Calicut (Kozhikode) in Kerala. Relatives said he was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his home on Sunday morning after failing to emerge from his room. His parents and neighbours discovered his body and alerted the Medical College Police, who registered a case of unnatural death and completed inquest proceedings. A post-mortem examination was later carried out and his body was handed over to his family.
The controversy stems from a video recorded inside a private bus last Friday in which a woman from Areekode alleged that Deepak had touched her inappropriately while travelling from Payyannur railway station in Kannur district. The clip was widely circulated on social media and viewed by more than two million people, prompting intense online reactions.
Deepak’s relatives and local residents said the allegation was baseless and that he was shattered by being depicted negatively online. They said he worked at a garment firm and had no history of controversy. Some activists have criticised the woman’s decision to post the video without first registering a formal complaint with authorities.
The woman who shared the video has stood by her account, telling local media that she was convinced of inappropriate contact and recorded the footage to highlight the incident, and expressed sadness over Deepak’s death.
Police said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the viral video and the events that may have contributed to Deepak’s death.
Deepak is survived by his father, Choyi, and mother, Kanyaka