Athira VM, a 26-year-old woman from Manjoor of Kerala’s Kottayam district, died by suicide on May 1, worried over cyber harassment by a stalker. Arun Vidhyadharan, 34, the alleged stalker, and Athira, were formerly in a relationship. Arun turned abusive and sent her threats after the couple broke up. He was booked by the Kaduthuruthy police for abetment of suicide, and a lookout notice was put out for him on Wednesday, May 3.
Athira had filed a complaint with the Kaduthuruthy police in the last week of April stating, “He has been continuously threatening me with defamation and circulating my pictures without my consent on Facebook. These actions have caused significant distress and harm to my personal and professional life.” There have been allegations that the police did not act promptly on the complaint, resulting in her death. But the Kaduthuruthy police had said that immediately after they received the complaint, they called Arun and asked him to report at the station, but he went into hiding.
“They knew each other and since the relationship turned toxic, they stopped it. His marriage was also fixed with another person. But things got worse when Athira started getting marriage proposals. His (Arun’s) family had contacted our family and requested to conduct their marriage. But we refused that. Later, he started threatening her when she spoke strongly. She warned him and said she would move legally, following which he went to an undisclosed location and did all this. He was well-planned and the harassment continued. We filed a police complaint formally. After that, his bullying escalated,” Ashish Das, Athira’s brother-in-law, who is also an IAS officer posted in Manipur cadre, told the media.
“That night (April 30) she called me and cried. All of us consoled her. She also promised that she was okay. The next day morning she sent me a message asking me to call him and speak. I saw that late. She woke up that morning, told everyone that she wanted to sleep a bit more, and went inside her room. Later, she was found dead. She was a very bold person, nobody has seen her crying. She had many dreams. She wouldn’t have done this unless she was deeply pained,” he added.
The Kerala Youth Congress and Congress workers organised a protest in the Kottayam district on May 3 over the delay in the arrest of the accused. Ten Youth Congress workers were booked by the police for creating a ruckus. Kottayam MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who reached Kaduthuruthy with protesters, was not allowed to enter the police station, resulting in a tussle.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide-prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.