Actors Darshan and Ramya.
Kannada actor Darshan, who is out on bail in a murder case, should urge his fans to refrain from trolling or sending threat messages of rape and murder to those who speak out against him, Ramya aka Divya Spandana, his colleague in the film industry, told NDTV.
Ms Ramya, who has allegedly been facing online abuses and threats for sharing her views on the murder case, said the harassment was on "another level" and that it is not too late for Darshan to speak up on such matters.
Her remarks came days after Bengaluru's Cyber Crime Police registered a case against 43 social media accounts for allegedly sending her obscene messages as well as murder and rape threats. She had recently shared a report on the Supreme Court's criticisms of the bail granted to Darshan in the murder case, and had sought justice for the family.
"I said the Supreme Court is a ray of hope for the common people of India who seek justice. That's it. I didn't even mention the actor. Post that, I received incessant trolling. And this is not where people just call you a prostitute or a slut, which I think is a sad thing women have come to be immune to. We have kind of made it a norm and just ignore it, and that shouldn't be the case. And I usually let those slide. But these were messages that explicitly described how I should be raped and how I should have been murdered instead of Renukaswamy," she said.
Ms Ramya alleged she received nude photographs and videos. "I also received a lot of video calls and audio calls which I didn't entertain. I was kind of shocked because as a public figure, people criticise you and sometimes make memes of you and in fact I have also, you know, have seen such memes of myself and laughed about it. But this was on another level. The thought that crossed my mind was that if they can do this to me, it shows they have complete disregard for women and for the law. They have no fear. And if they can do this to me, imagine what they must be sending to others who stand up for the truth," she added.
Darshan and his friend actress Pavithra Gowda are among the 17 accused in the murder case.
According to police, 33-year-old Renukaswamy, a fan of Darshan, had sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, which enraged Darshan, allegedly triggering his murder. His body was found near a stormwater drain next to an apartment in Sumanahalli here on June 9 last year.
Last week, the Supreme Court criticised the Karnataka High Court's bail to Darshan, calling it a "perverse exercise of judicial power".
Ms Ramya said Renukaswamy's murder could have been prevented had Darshan stood up against trolling earlier.
"Had he (Darshan) taken a stance earlier, maybe the Renukaswamy case would not have happened, because he was the actor's fan. It just tells you the kind of mindset and how these fans are emboldened to send out messages like this. Had he taken a stance, I don't think we would have been where we are today," he said.
"It's not too late for him to tell his fans that this is not okay. Because I see no difference between what Renukaswamy sent and what his fans are sending. If you think that is wrong, then why is this not wrong," she added.
Ms Ramya also said the registration of a police complaint on the basis of her complaint will send out a strong message. "The police are on it. I think it should take them three to four days (to catch the culprits)," she said.
