PETALING JAYA: “I love you. I am sorry. I am not a good mother.” Those were the final words N. Sashikala, 44, said to her youngest daughter before she committed suicide.
Indulging in social media to share her thoughts and hobbies, Sashikala was under the impression it would be entertaining. The private tutor was a strong-willed and outspoken person, despite suffering from long-term depression.
The mother of three girls was a dog rescuer and a huge fan of luxury handbags – both passions she shared on social media. However, just eight months into posting such content on the video-sharing app TikTok, life took a tragic turn.
Sashikala was constantly pounded with criticism and hate messages posted by her detractors.
The cyberbullying proved too much for her to handle, and at about 11.30pm on Saturday, she decided to end her life at her home in USJ, Subang Jaya, after making a final phone call to her youngest daughter, 18-year-old K. Khirthika.
After the phone went dead, Khirthika, who was in her room, rushed over to her mother’s room and forced her way in after finding it locked.
“I saw my mother hanging from the ceiling. She used her saree and turned it into a noose.
“She had called me hours earlier and asked me to get her a packet of fried mee hoon for dinner. When I got home, she ate the noodles and I went to my room. Then, she made her final call to me and the next thing I knew, she was gone. Our family is devastated,” Khirthika told theSun.
Khirthika, who is pursuing a degree in occupational therapy, said her mother was a victim of cyberbullying and that it had aggravated her mental health condition.
She said Sashikala had suffered depression over the past two decades and was on medication to manage her condition.
Khirthika added that although her mother was taunted by many users on TikTok, she was particularly disturbed by the harassment she received from a man known to her.
“My mother was very close to me and she confided in me. This man had not only harassed her mentally but also pestered her for sex, even though he knew she was married.
“He would demand sexual favours, and things became worse over the past three months.
“My mother lodged several police reports but she was neither called up to record her statement nor did she see any action taken against the man,” she said.
Khirthika claimed that after her mother admonished him, he retaliated by circulating photos and videos of her (Khirthika’s) father and sisters.
“I am frustrated that we have a part of society that is capable of bringing women down like this with its curses, swearing and sexual harassment.
“All I can say to those behind cyberbullying is if you do not have anything nice to say, please do not say anything. You do not know what the other person is undergoing. I hope my mother’s death creates some awareness among social media users to be courteous and kind in cyberspace,” Khirthika said.
Subang Jaya police chief ACP Abd Khalid Othman confirmed the victim had made a report related to sexual harassment about a month ago, but none for cyberbullying.
However, he told theSun the victim did not show up after investigators called her to record her statement.
Abd Khalid said the case was handed to Ampang Jaya police for further action as it was under their jurisdiction.
He said police learnt that on Saturday following her suicide attempt, the woman was rushed to hospital in an unconscious state by her family members but died on the way.
A post-mortem was conducted at the University Malaya Medical Centre and investigations revealed that there was no foul play. The case has been classified as sudden death.
