Social media users and members of the LGBTQIA community say Brunshu was subjected to online harassment after she posted an Instagram reel showing a teenage girl wearing a saree.
New Delhi: A 16-year-old makeup artist in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, has committed suicide. While the police are yet to ascertain what prompted the teenager to take the drastic step, some sections of the media reported that Brunshu was subjected to online harassment, homophobic in nature, after the teenager posted a reel on Instagram wearing a saree.
Self-taught makeup artist French has around 22,000 followers on Instagram and posts makeup and beauty content on the account.
Several Instagram users have alleged that they have faced online bullying and harassment, especially after the teenager shared a reel wearing a saree on Diwali. The reel went viral, garnering over 4,000 hateful comments, most of them anti-gay.
Ujjain Superintendent of Police Sachin Sharma told ThePrint that the police have sent the youth’s mobile phone for forensic analysis and secured Branshu’s social media handles and WhatsApp accounts as part of the investigation.
Sharma said a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate what led the teen to take the extreme step.
Branshu’s mother Preeti Yadav, a medical representative from Ujjain, said in a report by The Quint: “It’s not unusual for a 16-year-old to face hateful comments on the internet. I liked it, but was it good? This negativity needs to be checked and controlled.”
She added that Franshu was inspired by American YouTuber and makeup artist James Charles.
Several members of the gay community and activists also took to social media to express their grief following Franshu’s suicide.
Made In Heaven 2 actor and Instagram influencer Trinetra Halder Kumarju said online platforms like Instagram have failed to create a safe space for the LGBTQIA community and that there are “no posts” on #JusticeForPranshu because they violate certain social guidelines. Several Instagram handles reported that even after French’s death, several of the teen’s posts continued to receive hate comments.
Last year, a Supreme Court bench had called for a regulatory mechanism against hate speech and criticised the government for failing to act on rising incidents of hate speech. Currently, “hate speech” and “spreading rumours” are not defined under any law.
