Kerala man accused in viral KSRTC bus video found dead in suspected suicide

A 42-year-old man from Kerala's Kozhikode was found dead at his residence on Sunday. The deceased faced severe backlash online after a video of him allegedly misbehaving with a woman co-passenger onboard a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus went viral. 

The deceased, Deepak U, was working with a textile firm and was residing with his family at Govindhapuram. On Friday, Deepak had travelled to Kannur on a KSRTC bus, the day the alleged incident happened. 

According to police, Deepak's parents knocked on his bedroom door to wake him up at 7am, but there was no response despite repeated attempts. The parents later entered the room with the help of neighbours and found him hanging from a ceiling fan, police said.

Police were immediately alerted and they rushed to the spot. Police said a preliminary inquiry indicated it was a suspected case of suicide, and the probe would also examine the circumstances surrounding the circulation of the video. 

Shimjitha, a woman passenger who travelled on the bus along with Deepak, published a video on social media recently, accusing the deceased of sexual harassment. In the video, Shimjitha alleges Deepak touched her intentionally. In the video, Deepak's elbow appears to have grazed her chest, News Minute reported. Shimjitha alleged it was not accidental, but a violation of sexual boundaries. 

The video went viral on social media, and Deepak reportedly denied the allegation to his relatives. Deepak was under severe mental distress since the video surfaced, relatives said. A police probe is underway over the charges. 

Meanwhile, men's rights activists accused Shimjitha of creating a "false narrative" for online popularity. Rightwing activist Rahul Easwar urged the police to take action against Shimjitha.