A 36-year-old man, fearing arrest for posting alleged defamatory content on social media, attempted suicide on Friday at his house in Sriramapura, Sampigehalli when police landed at his door to arrest him.
The man, Harish, is a pro-Kannada activist. He was a long-time associate of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike leader T A Narayana Gowda, but had recently parted ways. Harish had allegedly posted 21 comments alleging that Mr Narayana Gowda is corrupt. Mr Gowda lodged a complaint and a case was registered under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.
On Friday, police landed at the house of Harish who locked himself inside his bedroom. Police sources said that they heard him scream from the room that Mr. Gowda was responsible for his death. Police broke open the door and found him hanging. He was rushed to a private hospital. His condition is said to be stable.
A senior police officer said that they had not gone to arrest him, but only to question him. He said, as per the new Supreme Court guidelines, they require a written order from an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police to make an arrest under Section 66A.