The campaigners chased Rahul Gandhi's cavalcade to attract his attention
A group of activists demanding justice for techie Atul Subhash chased Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's cavalcade on Delhi streets to draw his attention to the issue. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha heard them and responded by throwing a chocolate.
Thirty-four-year-old techie Atul Subhash died by suicide on December 9 after accusing his estranged wife Nikita Singhania and her family members of harassing him and his family by filing false cases. In an 80-minute video and 24-page suicide note, Atul alleged that Nikita had slapped multiple cases to extort money and also refused to let him meet their son.
While Atul's death made national headlines and triggered a debate on the misuse of laws aimed at protecting women, no political leader has spoken about the issue so far.
Lawyer-activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, who has been raising the misuse of anti-dowry laws for years, has demanded justice for Atul Subhash and argued that laws meant to protect women are being misused to harass men and their families.
Sharing a video of the car chase, Ms Bhardwaj said she and some others were on their way to a condolence meeting in the memory of Atul Subhash when they spotted Mr Gandhi's cavalcade.
"No Parliamentarian has spoken about tragic suicide by #AtulSubhash and the reasons behind suicides by so many men in India. When we were on our way to the condolence meeting in Delhi, we happened to spot @RahulGandhi on the highway and despite his entourage shouting at us, told him about Atul and the reason for his extreme step. Thanks to @ruchikokcha our driving champ, we succeeded in conveying the message," she said in a post on X.
The video shows Ms Bhardwaj and her friends in a car driving parallel to the vehicle of the Congress leader. To attract the Congress leader's name, they waved posters with Atul's photo and shouted Mr Gandhi's name. The security personnel accompanying the Leader of the Opposition tried to stop them, but they persisted. Eventually, they managed to draw Mr Gandhi's attention. After a few seconds of the two cars driving parallel, during which Ms Bhardwaj and others spoke about Atul's suicide, Mr Gandhi threw something into their car. Ms Bhardwaj confirmed to NDTV that it was a KitKat.
"Though, we don't know if he will bother to look at the case but at this point I just hope someone does and raise this in Parliament," she said in her post.
"We spotted his cavalcade and thought we should try to tell him about this case. After a chase and a lot of shouting by his escorts, we eventually captured his attention. He asked what happened and we told him that Atul Subhash died by suicide and that we seek justice for him. I have dropped a message to his assistant and requested a meeting. We haven't got a response yet," Ms Bhardwaj told NDTV.
"It is important for the Opposition to hold the government responsible for pressing issues in the society. This is one such issue. I hope Mr Gandhi takes note and does something about it," she said.
Atul Subhash was found dead at his Bengaluru home on the morning of December 9. His brother Bikas Kumar has filed an abetment to suicide case against Nikita, her mother Nisha, brother Anurag and uncle Sushil. Nikita, her mother and brother have been arrested.