Atul Subhash, a deputy general manager at an automobile firm in Bengaluru, was found dead in his apartment on Monday. His estranged wife and her family have been booked for abetment to suicide.
The deceased’s brother has filed a police complaint against his sister-in-law and her family, alleging they demanded ₹3 crore to withdraw cases against Atul and ₹30 lakh for visitation rights to see his son.
Atul Subhash, a resident of Munnekollal, was found dead in his apartment on Monday. Following his death, his brother, Bikas Kumar, filed a complaint against Subhash’s estranged wife, Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha, brother Anurag, and uncle Sushil. This led the Marathahalli police to book them for abetment to suicide. In his complaint, Kumar claimed that the constant harassment and demands from his in-laws had driven Subhash to take his own life.
Subhash, originally from Uttar Pradesh, married Nikita, a software professional, in 2019. The couple later separated. Subhash was facing nine cases on various charges, including murder, dowry harassment, and unnatural sex, among others. His parents were also named as accused in some of these cases.
Subhash left behind a 24-page note detailing his ordeal and an 81-minute video in which he wore a board around his neck reading “Justice is Due,” according to the police. In the video, he also accused a family court judge in Uttar Pradesh, who had favored his in-laws, of corruption.
“My brother has been mentally and physically drained since the court battles began. He was constantly mocked and told to die if he couldn’t meet their demands,” Kumar stated in his complaint.
Speaking to the media, Kumar expressed that his brother was deeply troubled as the cases against him accumulated without any evidence. “He traveled between Bengaluru and Jaunpur at least 40 times just to attend court hearings. Eight months after the marriage, she filed for divorce and later charged him and our family. Every law in India favors women, not men. I will fight for justice to send a strong message to society,” Kumar said.
In his note, Subhash reportedly requested authorities to prevent his wife and in-laws from seeing his body and stated that his last rites should be withheld until justice was served. “If the accused are allowed to walk free, dump my ashes in a gutter near the court. Let it serve as a testament to how life is valued in this country,” he wrote, according to the police. He also apologized to his parents for being unable to care for them in their old age, the police added.