The Bengaluru Techie Suicide. When the Law Laughs At Suffering and Women Openly Mock—Have Most Indian Women and the Law Lost Their Essence and Humanity?

In what can only be described as appalling and heartbreaking, Atul Subhash, a 34-year-old director-level executive from Uttar Pradesh, was forced to commit suicide and was found hanging in his apartment in Munnekolalu, Marathahalli, on a tragic Monday morning.

Atul’s death wasn’t just a loss of life, it was a cry for help that went unanswered, a plea that should have shaken the very fabric of law. His death has raised uncomfortable questions about the state of relationships, the state of our justice system, and the state of mental health in our country. But more than that, it demands we ask—what are we doing to those who suffer in silence?

Atul had been fighting an uphill battle with domestic violence charges that, according to his family, were baseless. In his final moments, Atul left behind a detailed 24-page suicide note that explained the torment he had endured.

The note spoke of multiple police complaints lodged by his wife and others, allegations that seemed to have been designed to break him, to make him feel like there was no escape. Yet, it wasn’t just the weight of these accusations that pushed him to the brink, but the sheer frustration of a system that seemed to fail him at every turn.

In his letter, he cited instances of unfairness, injustice, and a sense of helplessness that took him on a tragic journey to the end.
But it wasn’t just the suicide note that paints a picture of Atul’s pain. Before taking this drastic step, he recorded an over 80-minute video, uploaded to Rumble, explaining the agonizing circumstances that led him to such despair.

It’s impossible to imagine the depths of hopelessness Atul must have felt in his final moments, knowing he was fighting not just against his personal battles, but against a system that failed to protect him.

Perhaps the most shocking part of this story is the placard found beside Atul’s lifeless body. It read, “Justice is due.” A strong reminder that Atul’s final message wasn’t just about his death, but a desperate call to action. He wasn’t just a victim of his circumstances; he was a victim of a system that allowed him to be victimized again and again without any true intervention.

But the pain didn’t stop with Atul’s tragic end. His father, too, came forward to share the heart-wrenching details of his son’s struggles. He alleged that Atul’s wife had framed him in multiple cases, relentlessly pushing him towards the brink. According to him, Atul had even spoken about the mediation courts failing to operate as per law, and he had to make countless trips between Jaunpur and Bengaluru, fighting case after case. His father revealed that Atul had kept his frustrations hidden from the family, never letting them feel the weight of his agony.

Yet, even in his darkest moments, Atul tried to reach out—sending a heartbreaking email to his younger son just hours before his death.
Then there’s the shocking revelation from social media, which claims that during one of Atul’s court appearances, a judge allegedly laughed when Atul expressed his suicidal thoughts due to the mental harassment he had been facing from his wife and her family. If this is true, it’s an unforgivable stain on our judicial system, a betrayal of the very ideals of fairness and justice.

Atul’s brother filed an FIR alleging that after Atul’s divorce from Nikita Singhania in 2019, the four accused—his wife and her family—filed false charges against him and demanded a staggering sum of Rs 3 crore to settle the case. But that wasn’t the end. The complaints also claimed that Nikita had demanded Rs 30 lakh just to allow Atul to visit his own son, a child who is now only four years old.

Imagine the emotional toll this would have had on Atul. A father, separated from his child, fighting accusations that seemed to have no foundation, and feeling completely powerless to change his fate.

Men Can Break Down Too

Atul’s death is a wake-up call. It brings to the forefront the struggles many men face in silence—men who suffer abuse, humiliation, and mental torment, but have nowhere to turn for justice.

It’s a story that challenges us to rethink the realities around domestic violence, to question the biases that exist within the legal system, and to confront the harsh reality that sometimes, the very laws meant to protect can end up doing more harm than good.
Atul Subhash’s tragic death has shocked the nation, a painful reminder of how societal pressures, a failing justice system, and relentless personal battles can push someone to the edge.

In his final hours, Atul chose to leave behind a message—a desperate cry for justice, a plea for the world to understand the suffering he had endured. His words have now gone viral on social media platforms like X and LinkedIn, but what they reveal is deeply disturbing, and paints a picture of a man who believed his life had become a battle of survival.

In the heart-wrenching video Subhash recorded before his death, he said: “I feel that 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.” These are not the words of a man who sought escape from hardship, but of one who had been crushed by the weight of a system that failed him at every turn.

Subhash further explained the agony he felt as he watched the money he worked so hard to earn being used not for his benefit, but to fuel the very forces that were tormenting him. “With the money from my taxes, this court and police system will harass me, my family, and other good people. So, the supply of value should be finished.” His words echo a sense of betrayal—he felt that the system, which was supposed to protect him, had instead become an instrument of his suffering.

Subhash made an extraordinary demand in his final video: “After my death, my wife and her family should not be allowed near my body. Until my alleged harassers are punished, do not immerse my ashes.” This wasn’t just a plea for personal dignity, but a stark declaration that he would not rest until justice was served. He even told his family to throw his ashes outside the court’s gutter if his alleged harassers were not held accountable.

Atul’s last words weren’t just confined to the video. He also sent a death note via email to several people, sharing it with a WhatsApp group of an NGO he was associated with. Through his death note, Subhash sought to ensure that his child’s welfare was protected, requesting that custody be granted to his parents.

He believed that his parents, who were deeply concerned about his well-being, could provide better values and a safer environment for his son. This request, which came at a time when he felt he had been deprived of his rights and voice, show his utter helplessness.

Subhash’s note also painted a grim picture of his marriage. He had married in 2019, and within a year, he and his wife had a son. However, his marriage soon began to unravel as he accused his wife’s family of repeatedly harassing him for money.

According to Subhash, when he refused to meet these demands, his wife left their Bengaluru home in 2021, taking their child with her. The pain of separation was compounded by accusations of alienation and manipulation. “My wife will keep my child alienated and file more cases to harass me, my elderly parents, and my brother, using the money I pay her as maintenance. Instead of using it for our child’s welfare, she is weaponizing it against us.”

The Deep-Hitting Questions. Domestic Violence Against Men And Women

Atul Subhash’s death forces us to confront uncomfortable truths. His tragic end is not just the story of an individual pushed to the edge by personal battles, but a painful reflection of what is happening to the very fabric of our society. The pain and injustice he faced are questions that we, as a nation, must ask ourselves. What has happened to our sense of humanity? To our values? And, perhaps most importantly, what has happened to us as people?

1) What Has Happened to Our Society, and More Importantly, to the Women of This Country?

In the midst of Atul’s torment, a disturbing reality emerges—our society has become so consumed by materialism, by the desire for wealth, that it seems to have forgotten the very essence of humanity. And, tragically, this includes the behavior of women who are seemingly more focused on exploiting their power over others, particularly their husbands, for personal gain.

Atul’s wife, according to his own words, weaponized their child and financial demands to torment him, pushing him to the brink.
This isn’t just about one man’s suffering; it’s about a larger issue—when did our priorities as a society shift so drastically? When did the lust for money, for status, for control, begin to overshadow empathy, love, and respect?

The rise of materialistic values has undoubtedly warped the way many perceive relationships. In a world where social media often glorifies wealth and power, it seems that too many are willing to sacrifice human decency for personal gain.

Atul’s wife, in his eyes, became a reflection of that greed—using the law, her child, and her family to manipulate him into submission, until he was no longer able to withstand the pain. We must ask ourselves, where does this stop?

2) A Society That Compels People to Commit Suicide—And Even ‘Taunts’ Them to Do So

In what kind of society do we live that not only allows someone like Atul to be pushed to the edge but also taunts them in the process? His emotional turmoil, his constant struggle with the justice system, and his growing sense of powerlessness—these are things that many people endure silently, in fear of being judged or dismissed. And yet, it’s not just apathy that prevails—it’s cruelty.

3) The Judge’s Laughter—A Reflection of Barbarity in the Law

When we hear that a judge laughed at Atul’s desperate words, it paints a chilling picture of what is happening within our justice system.
Judges, those who are supposed to be the custodians of law and fairness, are supposed to offer justice, compassion, and a fair hearing to those who seek their protection.

The law is meant to protect the vulnerable, to provide recourse when all else fails. And yet, in this case, it seems that the judge’s response was a reminder of how deeply broken our system is.

Laughter in the face of such despair shows that the essence of the law has been eroded. It reveals a deep-seated barbarity, a detachment from the very principles that should define justice. When those who are entrusted with upholding the law mock the suffering of individuals, it reveals not just a personal failure but a systemic one.

A judge’s role is to offer hope, even in the face of hardship; but instead, we witnessed an abuse of power—a failure to see the humanity in those who come before them seeking justice. This is not justice; this is the perversion of it. It shows that we, as a society, are failing those who need the system to work in their favor, to be there for them in their darkest hours.

4) Beyond Gender: Crimes Against Humanity, Not Just Men or Women

The real tragedy of Atul’s death is that it has sparked a conversation about man-woman crimes, but perhaps we should be asking ourselves a larger, more important question: have we as a society descended so low that we no longer see crimes committed against human beings, but instead, we focus only on gender lines? Atul’s suffering isn’t just a man’s issue or a woman’s issue—it’s a human issue.

When we argue about gender in the context of crime, we risk losing sight of the bigger picture: we are talking about the destruction of a human life. Whether it is a man or a woman, the pain, the agony, and the mental torture that a person endures should be seen as a violation of their basic human rights. We must evolve past discussions of “who’s the victim” based on gender and look at the broader crisis we are facing. We must come to terms with the fact that crimes against people, regardless of their gender, are crimes against humanity.

Have we really become so desensitized to human suffering that we cannot see the greater truth—that in some ways, we may be even lower than animals? Animals, in their instincts, understand survival and compassion. But in our society, we are witnessing a complete disregard for human life. We have become so entrenched in our divisions and so blinded by our individual struggles that we forget the most basic rule of coexistence: to treat others with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Atul’s story is not an isolated one; it is a reflection of a deep societal sickness. We must wake up and realize that we are failing, as a society, to protect our own. We have let greed, power, and apathy take over, and in the process, we have forgotten what it means to be human.

The question now is, how much longer will we continue down this path? How many more lives will be lost before we finally decide to address the real problem – the erosion of humanity itself?