Atul Subhash suicide: ‘Son suffered in silence, was under stress’, say parents

Parents of the Bengaluru techie, who in his 24-page suicide note blamed his wife and her family for forcing him to end his life, have said that he was severely stressed out and had to repeatedly travel between Bengaluru and Uttar Pradesh to appear for court dates on cases filed by his wife.

‘Our son suffered in silence’

Speaking to NDTV, father of 34-year-old Atul Subhash said that his son had told him that the family court did not follow rules or guidelines set by high courts and Supreme Courts.

“He must have travelled between Bengaluru and Jaunpur (in Uttar Pradesh) at least 40 times. So many charges, one case would finish and she (Atul’s wife) would slap another. He was frustrated, but he did not show it to us,” Subhash’s father told NDTV.

Also read: Bengaluru techie dies by suicide, leaves 24-page note, blaming wife, her kin

“They tortured my son, they tortured us too. But my son took everything upon himself. He endured everything, he did not let us suffer. He kept burning inside," his mother said.

‘Justice is due’, read Subhash’s suicide note

On Monday (December 9) Subhash’s body was found hanging at his residence in the Manjunath Layout area in Bengaluru. A placard reading “Justice is due” was found in the room where he ended his life.

Before taking the drastic step, he recorded an over 80-minute video on Rumble, explaining the circumstances under which he had decided to die by suicide.

“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,” Subhash is seen saying in the video which has gone viral on social media.

“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,” he said.

Also read: Amid Bengaluru techie's suicide, SC laments tendency to 'misuse' dowry laws

He demanded that, after his death, his wife and her family should not be allowed near his body. Until his alleged harassers were punished, he asked his family not to immerse his ashes.

Wife’s family booked

Police have booked Subhash’s wife and her family for abetment of his suicide. No arrests, however, have been made so far.

In another suicide note, Subhash, who worked for a private firm in Bengaluru, gave extensive details of what he alleged was years long of emotional distress of marital issues; multiple cases filed against him and harassment by his wife, her relatives, and a judge based in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

He also sent his death note via email to several people and shared it with a WhatsApp group of an NGO he was associated with, police said.

Also read: Bengaluru suicide: FIR filed against techie’s wife, in-laws; lawyers slam ‘misuse’ of laws

In his death note, Subhash requested that custody of his child be granted to his parents, stating that they could "provide better values".

My money being weaponised against me: Subhash

In his death note, Subhash mentioned getting married in 2019. The couple had a son, the following year.

He alleged that his wife’s family repeatedly harassed him for money, demanding several lakh. When he refused, his wife reportedly left their Bengaluru home with their son in 2021.

“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 weaponising it against us," the suicide note said.

Subhash’s brother demands just probe

Subhash’s brother Bikas Kumar told ANI that the former’s wife filed a divorce case against him after eight months of separating from him.

“Around eight months after my brother's wife separated from him, she filed a divorce case and framed many charges against my brother and our entire family under different acts and sections. Every law in India is for women, and not for men – my brother fought for this but he left us,” Bikas said.

Also read: Mumbai: Air India pilot found dead in flat; boyfriend arrested for 'abetment of suicide'

"My brother did everything for her. Whatever has happened was unfortunate. If he had ever discussed it with me or our father, we would have helped him out of this situation... I want to request the government of India and the President that justice must be done to my brother if he is right. Otherwise, show me the proof that he is wrong. There should be a proper investigation against the judge named in my brother's suicide note," he said.

Subhash’s suicide a message that system is not helping men, says friend

Subhash’s friend Jackson also backed his parents’ theory about the former being under tremendous stress. "But in this particular video and the notes that he has made, it doesn't seem that he was depressed. It seems that he did it out of a sense of harassment that he was facing from the system. So, it was more like his way of telling the system that it is not helping men and there is a lot of bias," Jackson told ANI.

According to police, preliminary investigations revealed that Subhash had been facing marital discord with his wife, who had also registered a case against him in Uttar Pradesh.

(Suicides can be prevented. For help please call Suicide Prevention Helplines: Neha Suicide Prevention Centre – 044-24640050; Aasara helpline for suicide prevention, emotional support & trauma help — +91-9820466726; Kiran, Mental health rehabilitation — 1800-599-0019, Disha 0471- 2552056, Maithri 0484 2540530, and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)