January 1, 2026 was not a good beginning for Lily (name changed). She received a message from a woman acquaintance saying that activist and political commentator Mathur Sathya had shared an explicit video of her. Soon, Lily realised that it was not just her. What began as a single message quickly opened a Pandora’s box, with the woman admitting that Mathur had sent such videos of himself with multiple women.
The allegations gained formal traction after Lily’s friend, an activist, approached the Communist Party of India (CPI), as Mathur was a member. Since the complaint stated that Mathur has recorded intimate videos with several women and had allegedly used the material to influence and manipulate other women, the CPI removed Mathur from its primary membership. Meanwhile, a woman member of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), a CPI youth organisation, filed a police complaint.
After a preliminary investigation, Mathur was booked by Chennai police under various sections of the Information Technology Act for storing and transmitting explicit visuals.
Following the complaint, TNM spoke to four women who knew Mathur — a media personality and political commentator known for his association with progressive circles in Tamil Nadu — for years. Their accounts ranged from allegations of sexual misconduct and manipulation to instances of slut shaming.
However, as of now, the police case is understood to be limited to the alleged transmission of intimate visual content without consent.
Academy for Marxist Studies (AMS), formerly known as Anil Marxist Sangam, was one of the key spaces through which Mathur built his network. Founded by Mathur along with three others, it started as a closed circle in late 2020 for Marxist discussions and gradually evolved into a public study circle by May 2021.
AMS positioned itself as a space attempting to bridge Marxist and Ambedkarite thought. Known for its unconventional methods, including the use of Clubhouse discussions and social media memes, the group sought to make political ideas more accessible to young people while encouraging independent thinking.
The four women TNM spoke to knew Mathur either through AMS or other such circles. “We are all part of the same circle, with the same friends and acquaintances, and everyone knows everyone,” one woman said, explaining that it was this overlap that created a sense of hesitation and a fear of the consequences of coming forward.
Another woman said that the overlap between political spaces, friendships, and social interactions made it difficult to separate personal experiences from collective dynamics. “These were not strangers — these were people we discussed politics with, learned with, trusted,” she said.
It was within this circle that Lily’s association with Sathya began in 2023 on Instagram. She had been following his reels when he sent her a friend request. “He immediately started flirting,” she recalls and added that they dated after that.
“At one point, he suggested recording our intimate moments,” she says, adding that she consented under the assumption that the videos would remain private.
Months later, however, he allegedly asked her if he could share the videos with another woman, Lily says. Around the same time, she adds she was dealing with other personal issues and describes Mathur as someone who initially appeared supportive.
She said she could not stop being in touch with him for fear of the photos and videos he possessed.
Her concerns, she adds, were later confirmed through conversations with the woman acquaintance. “That’s when I realised it wasn’t just me,” Lily says.
Pauline Nisha, a lawyer who had known Mathur for several years through shared political circles, describes a different but related experience. “He positioned himself as a mentor,” she says.
According to her, he repeatedly attempted to initiate a sexual relationship despite her lack of interest. “I told him clearly that I wasn’t interested, and also that if anything happened, I wouldn’t be able to speak against him because of his political influence,” Pauline says. While she recalls that he later apologised, she also alleges that rumours about her personal life began circulating within their shared networks. “When it came from him, people believed it,” she adds.
She further alleges that Sathya told others that she was “mentally unstable” — a claim she says affected how people in their shared networks perceived and treated her.
Rebecca (name changed), who was associated with the same network, corroborated that rumours were spread about Pauline by Mathur and a few others. She also recalled that online discussion spaces between 2021 and 2022 were not always as open as they appeared. She said in one meeting, Mathur asked a woman to open an account in ‘OnlyFans’, since she wasn’t getting any work done. OnlyFans is a subscription-based online platform where creators share exclusive content, often including adult material, with paying subscribers.
The fourth woman, Shraddha (name changed), who has known Mathur for more than a decade alleges that in one instance, he was intoxicated and behaved aggressively with her. While she initially chose to move on from the experience, she added that she began to re-evaluate the incident in light of the recent allegations.
Two of these women alleged that Mathur would often initiate conversations by sharing intimate material without consent, and then use it to build familiarity or exert influence.
A lawyer associated with the issue says that a case has been registered by the cybercrime police and that Mathur was remanded in judicial custody because storing and transmitting explicit videos was a serious offense.
CPI and Mathur’s response
The AIYF Tamil Nadu state committee has asked women to come forward with complaints, assuring anonymity and confidentiality with the evidence. It also said assistance will be provided through the CPI’s legal wing, the Indian Association of Lawyers, to those who choose to pursue action. K Bharathi, State Secretary, Vaheeda Nizam, M Kannagi, Kalai Aswini, A Ranjani Kannamma and advocate Sneha are part of the panel. Complainants have been asked to email: aiyftn1959@gmail.com.
The CPI, meanwhile, said it had acted on a complaint and removed Mathur from the party and its affiliated organisations, while also approaching the police seeking action and support for the complainants.
Mathur also released a statement denying any wrongdoing, maintaining that all his interactions were consensual and that he would contest the allegations through legal channels.
Maintaining that his interactions had always been consensual, he added, “All my life, I have done everything with anyone I encountered only after explicit consent.” He also said that “it would be very hard for you to believe that there is any shred of innocence in me” and said that his silence should not be taken as acceptance of the allegations.
The CPI and AIYF have been commended by many for taking prompt action on such a complaint.
A lawyer who has been working closely with the case said that what was most disappointing was how safe spaces created by the progressive Left were being misused. “We are hoping more women will come forward to complain, especially the ones in the videos.”