Humiliation on social media can be deeply depressing and potent enough to drive a person to suicide, as seen in the alleged suicide of middle-aged BJP worker Vinay Somaiah. Perturbed and disturbed over his alleged wrongful arrest and humiliation, Somaiah allegedly committed suicide in the early hours of Friday at the local BJP office in the city.
He is said to have ended his life due to humiliation and distress following his arrest in a politically driven case involving Congress MLA and CM’s legal adviser. Vijay, a native of Kodagu district and an operations manager in a private firm, was arrested two months ago after a Congress worker filed a case against him over a comment in a WhatsApp group he administered.
He secured bail within a few days, and the High Court halted the investigation, but the trauma continued to haunt him, his family members and friends said. According to police, Vijay came to the BJP office on Thursday evening and did not return home.
Police said that in the early hours of Friday, his final post before he took his own life stated that he was shattered by the politically motivated FIR that had destroyed his reputation. Shortly after, he was found hanging inside the local BJP office premises at HSR Layout in the city. His family members insisted that he was deeply disturbed by his wrongful arrest and public humiliation.
BJP Karnataka unit president BY Vijayendra condemned those responsible for driving the BJP worker to this drastic step. He said the party would take up the matter with the authorities and announced plans to stage a protest. He also questioned the role of the Congress government in the case.