Manav Singh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manav Singh | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 November 2002 |
| Died | 4 May 2020 (aged 17) |
| Cause of death | Suicide by jumping |
| Education | Class XII |
| Known for | Died by suicide due to false allegation of rape and constant threats, Cybercrime |
Manav Singh ([maːnɛʋ sɪ́ŋɡ]; 27 November 2002 – 4 May 2020) was a 17-year-old boy from Gurugram, India, who died by suicide after being accused of sexual harassment by Bhavleen Kaur on her Instagram stories. The boy took his own life by jumping off the 11th floor balcony of his home on 4 May 2020.[1][2][3][4] Following the allegations, he was bullied, shamed, and received threats.[5][6][7]
The police investigation around the suicide has been claimed to be faulty, leading to the boy's parents filing a petition in a Gurgaon court, which noted that the police had been working at a low pace for 'reasons best known to them'. In June 2021, National Human Rights Commission of India intervened and declared that the investigation had been vitiated and not fair, directing the case to be transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).[8][9]
The allegations and the suicide happened on same day as the bois locker room incident, and surfaced to the internet on the next, leading many to assume that they were related.[10][11][12]
Background
A student of Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurgaon,[1] he was reportedly doing well academically and wished to study abroad.[13] His father worked in the private sector, while his mother was a homemaker. They were living in a rented condominium in DLF Carlton Estate, Gurugram,[14] and had been living at home since March 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdown began.[15]
Accusation
Almost an hour before his suicide, Kaur had posted an Instagram story alleging an incident which occurred when Manav was 14–15 years old, accusing him of harassing her, touching her inappropriately and demanding sexual favours.[5][10] She says she mentioned his name but did not tag him. Soon, her friends took screenshots and started reposting it, tagging Manav. The harassment began immediately. According to Manav's friends, he was shamed, bullied, and threatened.[5] After the story went viral, Manav received threat calls and messages and was the victim of harassment by the girl and her friends. Manav tried to defend himself and maintained that he was innocent.[6] According to a classmate, Manav pleaded with her friends to take it down, contending that it was not true, but they were relentless. After sustained abuse, he panicked and reached out to his friends.[5] Gurgaon police found chats that Manav had with his friends, minutes before his suicide. The boy wrote he was stressed, asking his friends to keep talking to him.[16]
According to an Instagram post by his brother, he had a panic attack, and took his own life.[7]
Suicide
On 4 May 2020, at about 11:30 in the evening, Manav jumped off the 11th floor balcony of his home in DLF Carlton Estate, in Gurugram.[17][1] His phone was in his room during dinner, and his family had gone to sleep at 10:30. An hour later, the intercom rang. His mother heard people crying and looked down to see him lying on the ground.[13] The police said a guard saw him in a pool of blood and alerted his parents. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.[16][10]