The recent incidents of Atul Subhash, Puneet Khurana, and Manav Sharma’s suicide have raised some serious concerns regarding the safety and mental health of men. In light of these events of rising suicide cases, spouse murders, and the alleged misuse of gender-specific laws, the NGO Save India Foundation has launched a national campaign titled ‘Satyagraha for Men.’ The movement, marked by press conferences in Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram on Saturday, aims to put forward their demand for gender-neutral laws, a National Commission for Men, and punishment for those misusing existing provisions.
The campaign is being organized in the lead-up to a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar on April 19. Organisers say that the event seeks to highlight the mental health struggles of men, the murder of husbands, and ignorance towards men and their plight which is often ignored by both law and society.
“We are not against anyone,” said Priyash Bhargava, an organiser and part of the Save India Foundation. “Our fight is for recognition. Men like Atul Subhash, Puneet Khurana, and Manav Sharma lost their lives not just to personal issues, but to systemic failure. If women can turn to the National Commission for Women or file cases under gender-specific laws, why should male victims suffer in silence?”
Amit Lakhani, another key voice in the campaign, emphasised the imbalance. “When a woman is a victim, she has an ecosystem. When a man is, he has none. This isn’t just about law—it’s about empathy.” Lakhani argued that suicide data should force lawmakers to take notice and quoted NCRB data saying, “Male suicides in India are nearly 2.8 times that of female suicides.” Many suicides,
The campaign has sparked broader debates around representation, selectivity, and systemic imbalance, but it still raises some serious questions. The NGO claims that many suicides stem from emotional or legal distress in domestic settings.
Why are select cases involving men sparking national outrage, while systemic, often daily, violence against women is brushed aside as unfortunate but routine? Are these demands addressing a real gap—or are they veering dangerously close to reactive victim politics?
When asked why there isn’t equal public outrage for women who suffer in silence or fail to receive justice, Amit Lakhani said, “There are laws for women, even if justice is delayed. But men don’t even get that chance.”
The NGO emphasised that its campaign does not undermine the challenges women face and argued for genuine gender neutrality in the legal system. “The law should use the term ‘person’ instead of ‘man’ or ‘woman,’ and ‘spouse’ instead of ‘husband’ or ‘wife,’” said Lakhani. “Anyone can be a victim, and justice should reflect that”, he further added. He further noted that social conditioning plays a significant role in the absence of support systems for men.
The proposal for a separate National Commission for Men may seem right at the moment, but in the far future, it is similar to creating more boxes and building more gender-specific institutions which will risk reinforcing divides, rather than moving toward a more inclusive and balanced system.
While the ‘Satyagraha for Men’ movement aims to address the perceived gaps in legal and social frameworks, it also highlights some concerning issues about how to find solutions that support one group without negating the struggles of another. As the campaign moves forward, it raises timely questions: Can gender justice truly be achieved by carving parallel structures? Or should India aim for a more unified and humane legal framework that transcends gender altogether?