Tragic Suicide in Delhi Raises Fresh Concerns Over Domestic Mental Abuse and Social Media Distress

 New Delhi, July 17 — In a deeply distressing incident that echoes the tragic suicide of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash last December, a man identified as Vikas died by suicide after broadcasting an emotional farewell via social media, in which he accused his wife of mental harassment and blamed overwhelming financial pressures for pushing him over the edge.

In the live-streamed video, Vikas alleged that his wife, Pooja, was involved in an extramarital affair with a man named Saqib, whom he also accused of past involvement in cybercrime and of falsely implicating him. Vikas further revealed that Pooja had left their home with their four-year-old son and was now residing at her mother’s house.

Visibly distraught, Vikas recounted the gradual breakdown of his marriage of five years. “Life was going well… and then, all of a sudden, everything started falling apart,” he said. In a poignant declaration, he stated that he still loved his wife and never intended to place blame, but was emotionally devastated.

He went on to allege repeated deception by Pooja, claiming she would lie about her whereabouts and spend time with Saqib under the guise of daily errands. “Every time, she tells me she’s taking a Rapido, and I find out she’s with him,” Vikas stated.

The video also underscored Vikas’s desperate financial situation. “I’m crushed under debt. I can’t live like this anymore,” he said, while expressing concern for his son’s future. Vikas made a passionate plea for his child to be raised by his parents, claiming that the boy did not wish to stay with his mother. “I can’t leave him there — she’s dependent on someone else herself,” he said.

In a final appeal, Vikas urged that his son be kept away from what he described as an unstable and emotionally harmful environment, alleging that he had even been falsely implicated in a cybercrime case by his wife.

The disturbing parallels between Vikas’s suicide and the December 2024 case of Atul Subhash — who also left behind a video blaming harassment by his estranged wife and in-laws — have reignited urgent calls for better mental health interventions and a reassessment of how domestic disputes are handled by both law enforcement and family courts.

Authorities have yet to confirm details regarding legal proceedings or custodial arrangements for the child. Meanwhile, the incident has sparked widespread debate online and within civil society about the psychological toll of unresolved domestic conflicts, the misuse of digital platforms for public distress expression, and the growing pattern of suicides linked to family breakdowns.