A 14-Year-Old Boy Committed Suicide After A Girl Accused Him Of Molesting Her. This Is The Side Of Social Media Trials That We Cannot Ignore

Before social media and all its trials and tribulations, life was extremely simple. There was no cyberbullying, no race to increase the number of followers and no mindless selfies and food pictures to upload (I still can’t figure out why I would care what you’re eating). People would engage in conversation and phones were only used when our mothers would call to ask our whereabouts. Don’t get me wrong I am not saying that there was no constant harassment, crime, bullying or assault back then. Of course, there was, but at least the culprits couldn’t hide in the shadow of their screens as they do now.

I have thought about this a lot recently, especially since the Bois Locker Room incident. You know, the group of young teenage boys on Instagram that recently came into the limelight after it was discovered they talk about gang-rape, morph pictures of girls into nudes, pass derogatory and lewd comments and even hack girls accounts and threaten them. To them, blatantly painting a picture of how they wanted to sexually assault women was just harmless fun, but I don’t think they realised the misogynistic rabbit hole they were going down. I can’t help but constantly wonder how these educated young boys who come from (I am assuming) good families, have not to shred of morality in the body. But then again, can we blame but them?

But the most terrifying thought I had while reading about this horrid group was something that never occurred to anyone before- that teenage boys are capable of sexual violence. Can you imagine how many groups and incidents like this there are that haven’t seen the light of day? Don’t tell me that doesn’t frighten you.

Having said that, another disturbing incident has just come to light. A 14-year-old boy in Gurugram committed suicide after a girl accused him of molesting her on social media. According to reports, the teenage boy jumped out of his 11th-floor family home just mere hours after he was named in a MeToo post on Instagram. The coincidence here is that it was posted by a girl the same day the Bois Locker Room controversy blew up on social media.

Also Read: The ‘Bois Locker Room’ Chat Exposes A Deeper Rot That Comes From Gender Stereotyping And Years Of Social Conditioning

Named in MeToo post, 14-yr-old in Gurugam kills himself, say police – gurugram https://t.co/PHiWJF4hWl

— Current News 18 (@Currentnews_18) May 6, 2020

The police did not find a suicide note but they found screenshots and messages on the boy’s phone that indicated that some of his fellow students might have warned him that he might be interrogated by the police. They also found screenshots of the post made by the girl and all the other students who had messaged the boy. Deepak Kumar, station house officer of sector 53 police station told HT that the guards heard a thud and hurried to the spot.

He said, “They found the boy in a pool of blood and informed the family around 11.30 pm. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared him dead.” The forensic expert who conducted the autopsy said that there were multiple injuries including head injuries which caused the death.

The suicide was witnessed by a close friend of the victim who stayed in another building who said that he went to check on the boy but did not report the act.

The post that this girl had shared accusing the boy of molestation said that she was attacked by him two years ago and that she was tired of keeping the secret. She went on to describe the incident in the post which allegedly took place in the basement of her apartment complex.

Also Read: Screenshots Of This Group Chat On Instagram Expose Young Boys From Delhi Discussing Girls, Their Bodies And Rape Threats. This Is So Worrying

Amid Bois Locker Room fiasco, 14-year-old boy, accused of molesting girl, commits suicide in Gurugram #boyslockerroom https://t.co/5KDqCV0Cw3

— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) May 6, 2020

The police have started an inquiry into the suicide after the parents refused to file a complaint. They are going to question the girl as well as all the people who commented on that post.

This incident has left me a little shaken mainly because it has come straight on the heels of the Bois Locker Room controversy. Also, it’s extremely worrying because this boy is proof that the accused are being persecuted over social media. People say that social media is both a boon and a curse, but right now it’s just a curse.

This 14-year-old boy is the flip side of a social media trial and it’s horrible because the point is not to persecute people, especially children but to set the course straight and provide a platform. These two cases are so hard-hitting that now it’s going to force us to rethink our strategy while dealing with young boys and I think it’s high time now.

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/mumbai-based-ib-school-suspends-8-boys-for-passing-sexual-remarks-on-their-female-classmates-misogyny-runs-young-too/