Girl Kills Herself in K’taka After Harassment by Hindutva Groups

Police from Chikmagalur district have called the incident ‘moral goondagardi’.

A woman committed suicide after facing harassment from a members of BJP’s youth wing, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), and members of Bajrang Dal.

(Photo: The Quint)

Anil Raj, a local leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) from Chikmagalur district in Karnataka, has been arrested, while some other Hindutva activists from the region are on the run after the suicide of a 20-year-old girl, who allegedly killed herself after sustained harassment she faced after saying she likes Muslims in a Whatsapp message.

The girl, Dhanyashree, was a first-year B.Com student. She was allegedly harassed by Hindutva activists from groups like Bajrang Dal and BJYM after she had reportedly said that she liked Muslims on a WhatsApp group. She committed suicide on 6 January, the Indian Express reported.

Dhanyashree's mother said the harassment started on 4 January when Dhanyashree got a call from an unidentified person who called to question her about the WhatsApp messages. The caller later identified himself as one Santosh, a Bajrang Dal activist from Mangalore.

According to the complaint, he even asked Dhanyashree why she was wearing a scarf in one of her photographs posted on social media.

Santosh reportedly called many times and even spoke to her Mother on one occasion, telling her to 'control' her daughter. He allegedly warned her that embarassing photos of her daughter will get posted on Social Media.

According to the mother, Suvarna - a group of men visited their home the next day and threatened to defame Dhanyashree, identifying themselves as Bajrang Dal activists.

All the harassment made Dhanyashree kill herself on 6 January when she was alone at home. She had reportedly left a suicide note saying she was not able to bear the harrassment by the activists and their false claims of her being involved with a Muslim boy, according to The Indian Express.

Police from Chikmagalur district have called the incident a ‘moral goondagardi’. 

Anil Raj was arrested on the basis of the mother's complaint. Search for other accused has been launched by the police.

(With inputs from The Indian Express.)