New Delhi: A 16-year-old queer makeup artist died by suicide in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain Tuesday. Though police are yet to ascertain what drove the teenager to take the extreme step, sections of the media reported that Pranshu was subjected to online harassment, homophobic in nature, after the teenager posted a reel on Instagram wearing a saree.
A self-taught makeup artist, Pranshu had nearly 22,000 followers on Instagram and posted makeup and beauty content on the account.
Numerous Instagram users have alleged that Pranshu faced online bullying and harassment, especially after the teenager shared a reel wearing a saree on Diwali day. The reel went viral, eliciting more than 4,000 hate comments, mostly homophobic in nature.
The police have sent the teenager’s mobile phone for forensic analysis and have preserved Pranshu’s social media handles and WhatsApp account as part of the investigation, Ujjain Superintendent of Police Sachin Sharma told ThePrint.
Sharma added that a six-member special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted to probe what might have driven the teenager to take the extreme step.
Pranshu’s mother Preeti Yadav, an Ujjain-based medical representative, was quoted as saying in a report by The Quint: “Why is no attention being paid to the fact that a 16-year-old faced hateful comments online for doing something they not only loved, but were also good at? This negativity needs to be checked and curtailed.”
Pranshu was inspired by American YouTuber and makeup artist James Charles, she added.
Several members and activists of the queer community too took to social media to express their grief in the wake of Pranshu’s death by suicide.
Made In Heaven 2 actor and Instagram influencer Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju asserted that online platforms like Instagram had repeatedly failed to create a safe space for the LGBTQIA community and claimed that #JusticeForPranshu “has no posts because some violate community guidelines”. Many Instagram handles pointed out that even after Pranshu’s death, many of the teenager’s posts continued to receive hateful comments.
Last year, a Supreme Court bench had pointed to the need of a regulatory mechanism against hate speech and criticised the government for failing to act on rising instances of hate speech. Currently, “hate speech” and “rumour-mongering” are not defined under any law.
If you are feeling suicidal or depressed, please call a helpline number in your state.
With inputs from Iram Siddique
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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