Indian woman arrested after suicide of man she accused of sexual misconduct

Police in the southern Indian state of Kerala have arrested a woman in connection with the suicide of a man she had accused of touching her inappropriately on a bus.

The arrest followed a complaint by the man’s family, who alleged that he faced online harassment after a social media video posted by the woman went viral.

Shimjitha Musthafa, 35, last week posted the video she recorded on the bus, offering it as evidence against Deepak U, 42, whom she accused of elbowing her on the breast.

In a country where sexual harassment of women in crowded public spaces is rampant, the footage sparked strong reactions, with many criticising Deepak. Two days later, he died by suicide.

Deepak’s friends and family say he had denied the accusations of sexual harassment and that he was innocent. They also said he was distressed by what they described as a “social media trial”.

The family also accused Musthafa – who is a social media content creator affiliated with a local political party, Indian Union Muslim League – of using the video to gain fame and followers. In another video uploaded before her arrest, Musthafa had denied this, saying she recorded and posted the first video “to highlight a serious social and mental issue”.

After Deepak’s mother lodged a complaint, police registered a case against Musthafa and invoked a non-bailable charge relating to abetment to suicide. On Wednesday, she was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

The Kerala state human rights commission has also directed the police in the state’s Kozhikode district to submit their investigation report in a week’s time.

Deepak’s suicide on 18 January, a day after he turned 42, has led to a huge outrage in India, with family, friends and men’s rights activists speaking out in his support.