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They were right in the centre. A posse of cameramen and reporters had surrounded them. They kept crying and speaking into the microphones. The man and the woman at the centre of this are the father and mother of Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash - who died by suicide alleging harassment by his wife, Nikita Singhania, and her family members.
Mother: "Mera bachha bahut torture hua hai (My child was tortured a lot)".
Father: "Bahut torture hua, itna torture hua ki humko nahi bataya (He was tortured a lot but he never told us anything)".
Mother: "Mere bachhe ko torture bahut kiya gaya hai (My child was tortured a lot)".
Father: "Torture karna bhi ek hatya hai (Torture is also murder)".
Mother: "Mera bachha bahut pareshan hua (My son suffered a lot)".
Each sentence by the parents was punctuated with tears. At one point, unable to come to terms with the enormity facing them, the mother fainted.
The family retuned to Patna on Wednesday after cremating their 34-year-old son in Bengaluru, who was found dead at his city home on Monday morning.
Hours before his death, Atul had sent a mail to his brother at 1 in the night, his father Pawan Kumar had told the media.
"He had said to us that those in the mediation court do not work as per law, not even as per the rules of Supreme Court. He had to go to Jaunpur from Bengaluru at least 40 times. She (his wife) used to frame one charge after another. He must have been frustrated but never let us feel that. Suddenly, we received the information about the incident - he sent a mail to our younger son around 1 am," his father Pawan Kumar told news agency ANI.
Before he took the extreme step, Atul Subhash recorded an 80-minute video in which he accused his estranged wife Nikita Singhania and her family of slapping multiple cases on him and his family to extort money from them. He also criticised the justice system in his 24-page suicide note.
A case of abetment of suicide has been filed against Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha, father Anurag and uncle Sushil by Atul's family.
"I feel that I should kill myself because the money I earn is making my enemies stronger. That same money will be used to destroy me, and this cycle will keep going," Atul is heard saying in the video.
A "Justice is due" placard was found in Atul's room where he allegedly ended his life.
The case of Atul Subhash has reignited a broader debate over the misuse of dowry laws in India. The Supreme Court has previously raised concerns about the growing trend of misusing Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which addresses cruelty by husbands and their relatives against married women.
"There are all types of people. There should not be any gender bias. It should always be a question about who is wrong and who is right," said Bikas Kumar, Atul's brother.
Asked if the family ever felt that Atul exhibited suicidal tendencies, the brother said: "There was never any such discussion, even if I had got the slightest hint, I would not have allowed him to take this step. He was very frank with our father. He used to speak to papa and mummy every day. We never felt he could do something like this. If I were ever upset, he would tell me 'I am there, why do you worry'. He supported me in everything. I don't know how I will handle all this," said the brother, fighting back tears.
"He was a lively person who used to get along well with everyone. He was very calm, gentle and composed," said D Patil, a friend of Atul and also a member of Save Indian Family Foundation.
Another friend claimed that Atul's estranged wife demanded Rs 30 lakh just to show him his son's face.
"Nine cases were registered against him (Atul). As soon as one case would end, another would be filed against him. She (Nikita Singhania) didn't even let me see him see his son. She asked for Rs 30 lakh to show Atul his son's face," said Naveen Kumar, a friend and member of Save Indian Family Foundation.
Atul and Nikita met on a matchmaking website and married in 2019. The couple became parents to a boy the following year.
Atul Subhash has alleged that his wife's family would repeatedly demand money running into several lakhs. When he refused to give more money, his wife left the Bengaluru home with their son in 2021.
"Atul Subhash committed suicide during the early hours of 9th of December. A complaint has been lodged at the Marathahalli police station in Bengaluru regarding this. Multiple cases were running against him in Uttar Pradesh. His wife and her family members demanded money from him to settle this issue and harassed him. For those reasons, he died by suicide. Based on this complaint, we registered an FIR against the accused. An investigation is underway," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Whitefield, Shivakumar told news agency ANI.
In his 24-page suicide note, Atul wrote Nikita filed a case against him and his family under multiple sections, including murder and unnatural sex. She alleged that he demanded a dowry of Rs 10 lakh and this put pressure on her father and he died of a heart attack.
Atul has said that his wife and her family first demanded Rs 1 crore to settle the case, but later hiked this to Rs 3 crore.
In his video, Atul Subhash asked his family members not to immerse his ashes until he got justice.