Nobody but media killed Arun Vidhyadharan

Social media is turning domains for settling scores with friends and foes alike. V M Athira, a Kottayam native was all cheers and jubilant for her proposed marriage. Fate brought a late plot twist which saw the young woman ending her life for reasons trite. The trite part is subjective and may vary across different cerebrums. Her old pal Arun Vaidyanathan was pained with her marriage and decided to unravel the long-saved images of his old friend on his Facebook page. He demeaned Athira and even posted long write-ups ridiculing her trustworthiness. On expected lines, Athira’s proposed marriage fell apart. The groom's family might have chanced upon Arun’s below-the-belt commentary on Facebook. The murder elicited anger among natives and neighborhoods near Kottayam Kothanaloor where Athira lived.

A witch hunt was directed at Arun by the media which made the police issue a look-out notice for the young man. The search was mostly pointed to Coimbatore where it was assumed Arun took shelter. In a shocking end, Arun committed suicide inside a lodge room in Kanhangad but not Coimbatore. Nobody in Kerala felt the need for sorrow but pointed to Arun’s death as deserved. The media never went jubilant but should be rewarded for being the sole accused in Arun’s murder.

The Kothanaloor native might have insulted, demeaned, and chastised Athira on social media. It was nothing but hatred of the lowest probity. However, it should have been the law to act but the media took that baton to incriminate the man to death. 815 cases of social media assaults were reported last year. In 2020, the numbers were 425. Women are attacked mostly if there happens a wedge in love relationships. Fake photos are designed and publicized through social media which brings into the light the newfound solace in many to vengeance. The laws of our land have certain boundaries which make it impossible to criminalize such insults.

The information technology Act can be used by Kerala police to trap such keyboard assailants. Hefty fines and jail terms will surely plunge the hate numbers in years. The prosecutors also need to be educated on the laws that criminalize such insults written on social media. The law should take hold of matters rather than the mock trial conducted by media houses in the state. Arun's stooping low of an insult might have pained Athira immensely. However, the punishment he waited for was not death. The people enjoying his death carry proudly an unbaked mind not ready to discern things in their true light. As the smokes taking its time to abate after Arun's cremation, the media has surreptitiously finagled a way out of his murder with no one noticing.