'I feel like a living corpse...': Mumbai man’s mother writes emotional note after son’s death blaming wife

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A Kanpur native’s suicide in Mumbai’s Vile Parle last week has reignited calls for gender-neutral laws to protect men in marital disputes, as his grieving mother, a veteran women’s rights activist, shared an emotional Facebook post. The 41-year-old social worker allegedly took his life in a five-star hotel on March 3 amid a fallout with his wife, leaving behind a note blaming her and her aunt for his despair.

“Today I feel like a living corpse,” the mother wrote, reported Hindustan Times. “My son left me. He was supposed to perform my last rites, but I performed his on March 2 at ECO-MOKSHA, Mumbai. My daughter lit her elder brother’s pyre. Give us courage to bear this thunderbolt.”

The mother, who claims to have aided over 46,000 women through her activism, including securing justice for 37,000 and empowering thousands via her Sakhi Kendra initiative, said she raised her two children alone without ever amassing wealth. “My son was my everything—my friend, my strength,” she added. “Countless struggles marked my life, but I never complained to God.”

She noted that actors and filmmakers attended her son’s funeral, a testament to his wide circle, yet he hid his plans to end his life. Mumbai Police have charged his wife and her aunt with abetment of suicide under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on the suicide note and the mother’s complaint. No arrests have been made yet, per Hindustan Times.

The man, originally from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, had been in Mumbai for two days when he died. Police investigations point to business losses and a marital dispute as factors, with a senior officer confirming the note cited his wife and aunt as reasons for his decision.

The case comes amid growing outrage over the lack of legal protections for men in domestic conflicts, with several similar incidents reported in recent months, fueling a heated public debate.