Elderly Waste Collector Dies By Suicide After Being Mocked By Youngsters

Unwanted social media fame or notoriety can take a toll on one’s mental well-being. People, who get mocked online, often experience extreme stress and their self-esteem takes a hit. Over the years, there have been many cases where people have died by suicide over cyberbullying or if their embarrassing photo or video goes viral. Now, a similar incident of cyberbullying has emerged from Lohawat village in Rajasthan. An elderly waste collector died by suicide, reportedly after some youngsters made videos in which they mocked him. The elderly man has been identified as Pratab Singh.

As reported by NDTV, Pratab Singh was irked by this unwanted attention. This reportedly caused him much distress and he later died by suicide. Pratab Singh used to collect pastel bottles and other recyclable waste material. He had a handcart that he used for his daily work.

Although the contents of the original video are unclear to News18, it is reported in the media that the video shows some men “mocking him” as he passes through them with his handcart. As per the police, “His body was found hanging from a tree near the highway. A case has been registered and investigation is on.”

Back in November, a similar case of cyberbullying emerged from Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain when a 16-year-old boy died by suicide over hateful comments on his Instagram Reels. Priyanshu Yadav, who was in Class 10, would share videos on make-up and beauty. On Diwali, he posted a reel that showed him dressed in a saree. This video attracted a barrage of homophobic hate comments. One police officer claimed that Priyanshu Yadav was heavily bullied for cross-dressing and experienced homophobic slurs which led to his depression that forced him died by suicide.

In an interview, Pritanshu Yadav’s mother said that he had taken an off from tuition because he wanted to study for the exam. She said, “I had talked to him at 10 AM in the morning and never thought that it would be my last interaction with Pranshu.” This incident points to the prevalent homophobia and the lack of adequate support for people in the LGBTQ+ community.

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