In Kerala, a 42-year-old man named U Deepak died by suicide after influencer Shimjitha Musthafa posted a viral video accusing him of sexually harassing her on a crowded bus, leading to his arrest on abetment to suicide charges. The video, which garnered over 20 lakh views, depicted Musthafa claiming Deepak deliberately touched her without consent despite being recorded, sparking widespread online outrage and public shaming that Deepak’s family says left him humiliated and unable to eat, even on his birthday. Police registered the case following a complaint from Deepak’s mother, who described her innocent son as shattered by the accusations, while the Kerala State Human Rights Commission ordered a probe.
Incident Details
Deepak, a sales manager from Govindapuram in Kozhikode, was traveling on the bus when Musthafa filmed him, later alleging the touch was intentional and not accidental due to crowding. Two days after the video exploded on social media on January 18, 2026, his parents found him hanging in his home; he reportedly left a note blaming baseless targeting. Musthafa deleted the video, posted a defense that she later made private, and went absconding briefly before her arrest on January 21. Deepak’s family insists the contact was inadvertent in the packed bus and accuses Musthafa of character assassination for publicity.
Social Media Trials’ Impact
Social media platforms amplify unverified accusations into instant trials, where viral videos bypass due process and brand individuals as guilty before investigation. In Deepak’s case, the clip triggered massive trolling and cyberbullying, pushing him to despair without opportunity for defense, highlighting how online mobs deliver irreversible reputational damage. Sensationalism thrives on such content, as creators exploit harassment narratives for views, often prioritizing outrage over facts, which erodes public trust in digital testimony.
Toxic Feminism and Innocent Men
Elements of toxic feminism contribute by framing all male-female interactions suspiciously, demanding immediate accountability without evidence and portraying men as inherent predators. This ideology, when mixed with social media, vilifies men like Deepak as symbols of patriarchy, ignoring context like crowded public transport and leading to fragile outcomes when egos clash with public scorn. Men’s rights groups criticized Musthafa for defaming an innocent man, arguing such one-sided narratives under the guise of empowerment harm families and fuel gender antagonism.
Similar Cases in Bharat
The Deepak tragedy in Kerala serves as a stark warning for Bharat, where unchecked social media trials, fueled by sensationalism and strands of toxic feminism, continue to shatter innocent men’s lives without remorse or recourse. From viral videos that convict before courts can convene to retracted accusations that leave indelible scars on families, these patterns demand urgent reforms—stricter penalties for abetment through falsehoods, platforms compelled to verify before amplifying, and a cultural shift away from gendered vigilantism that equates suspicion with guilt. Only through balanced accountability can Bharat safeguard justice for all, ensuring no more lives are lost to digital lynch mobs masquerading as empowerment.
This woman Shimjitha Musthafa chose to take her real or imagined case of sexual harassment in public court by posting a video online accusing the target Deepak of sexually harassing her on a crowded bus, leading to it becoming viral amongst social media mob, then poor Deepak’s improper and hasty arrest by demoralized police, resulting in extreme distress to him culminating in his taking his own life protesting his innocence. Let us ponder on some topics raised.
Social Media Trials’ Impact:
OK, let us consider the alternative.
Now what are chances that any useful followup by police would have taken place had Shimjitha Musthafa reported the incident with video to the police instead of going online? Would the police instead have
i) either ignored the complaint
ii) or (for “oopari income”) blackmailed alleged perpetrator and even alleged victim? Here, the the later is less likely as being a Muslim Leauge card carrying member she would instead be appeased by despicable “secular” police and politicians.
There is a widespread people perception based on their personal or heard experiences that police personnels almost always misuse their power. But wait! Most people are also jugadoo (user of deceitful shortcuts) and prone to making their way bypassing laws via bribery, nepotism, and appeasement and so it’s just our collective karma biting us back! No amount of laws can fix this situation of cultural morass. In fact, ironically, in this scenario, trying to fine tune law’s strictness to specific patterns results in even more abuse from all ends! The politicians we nurture and elect combined with our own jugadoo and impulsive civic character means politicians and their ecosystem basically forced police to incarcerate poor Deepak.
Toxic Feminism and Innocent Men:
This phenomenon of victimization of innocent men by females abusing the society’s gender bias and stereotyping is a very valid point raise by the author. We must also not fail to recognize that the obverse phenomenon of toxic masculinity and innocent females. This later phenomenon is, in my view, several dimensions more prevalent, like 1 : 1000? Every time we mention toxic feminism, let us show some courtesy and empathy and acknowledge the elephant in the room too. In UP, chief minister Yogi Adityanath proudly mentioned the visible effect of his women’s safety efforts and even some hostile and morally depraved Muslimas have acknowledged it too. But when demography will swing all his effort would most likely come to a naught, as Mohammadanism enforces it’s convoluted gender and sexual values through terror and denial and redefinitions. They literally get high with this “winning” attitude. Hats off to CM Yogi Adityanath, but we must not need heroes to remove gender toxicity. We must use our dharma to prepare and disseminate educational literature to destroy gender toxicity and injustice. And also, in this context, not allow Mohammadanism to one day destroy us via our demographic suicide.
But committing suicide due to being shamed in “Society”? This is another topic to deal with.