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Social Media Abuse and Casteist Insults: Another Accused Arrested in Mangaluru

By Editor

Posted on October 21, 2025

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Social Media Abuse and Casteist Insults: Another Accused Arrested in Mangaluru

Mangaluru : The City Police have arrested a 27-year-old man, Nikhil Raj, in connection with a harrowing case of online harassment, defamation, and casteist abuse against a woman. The arrest, made on October 21 by ACP Pratap Singh Thorat, follows an investigation that uncovered evidence of Raj sending casteist slurs to the complainant.

The ongoing case, registered at the Mangaluru East police station on October 18, details severe mental distress caused to the woman, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste.

Timeline of Harassment
The investigation began with a complaint against Abhishek Acharya of Nitte, Karkala, who allegedly threatened the woman and circulated her obscene videos and photos on social media. The situation intensified when Abhishek reportedly sent photos of himself hanging before taking his own life.

Following Abhishek’s death, his brother, Abhijith Acharya, and others allegedly continued the malicious campaign. They circulated Abhishek’s death note alongside the complainant’s obscene pictures across major social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which the complainant asserts constituted casteist insult and outrage.

Legal Action and Next Steps
The accused, Nikhil Raj, a resident of Akash Bhavan, Kapigudda, Kavoor, had his mobile phone seized for further investigation and is set to be produced before the court.

The case has been filed under multiple serious sections, including:

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): Sections 79 (dealing with liability of service provider) and 190 (criminal intimidation/threat).

IT Act: Sections 66(A) (sending offensive messages) and 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form).

SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act: Sections 3(1)(w)(i)(ii) (willfully subjecting a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe to any physical or mental torture).

Police have assured that the investigation will proceed under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and have vowed to take strict action against everyone involved in the offence.