Ujjain Queer Teen, 16, Bullied Online For Wearing Makeup, Sarees; Dies by suicide

Priyanshu Yadav alias Pranshu, was a queer teenager who lived with his single mother in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh. The 16-year-old, an aspiring social media influencer, was in grade 10.

Ujjain News: In a disturbing and tragic incident, rampant homophobia and bigotry drove a 16-year-old gay teenager from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh to commit suicide. The victim, Class 10 student Pranshu, faced incessant bullying on his social media profiles, with trolls hurling homophobic slurs at him for dressing up in saris and wearing make-up.

Fed up with the storm of hate he faced online for being queer, the aspiring influencer, who had more than 15,000 followers on his Instagram page, took his own life on Tuesday by reportedly hanging himself with using his mother’s dupatta, police said.

“In November, the minor boy was alone at home and hanged himself using his mother’s dupatta,” a senior officer said, adding that police have seized his mobile phone and the reason behind his suicide death is being ascertained.

“The student’s mobile has been seized and details will be obtained via Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook. There is no solid basis yet for the suicide,” said Nagjhiri police station in-charge Kamal Singh Gehlot.

The officer said the motive behind the boy’s suicide is being established. However, reports claim that Pranshu was severely bullied online for cross-dressing and had homophobic comments made by online trolls, which left him depressed and eventually led him to end his own life.

“We are investigating whether there is a link between the negative comments he received for wearing saris and nail polish in pictures he shared on his social media,” the officer said.

Who was Pranshu?

Priyanshu Yadav alias Pranshu, was a queer teenager who lived with his single mother in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh. The 16-year-old, an aspiring social media influencer, was in class 10 at Ujjain Public School.

According to reports, Priyanshu’s mother Preeti and father Rajendra Yadav had separated three years ago and the boy had been living with his mother – a medical representative – since his parents separated. Preeti was at work when the tragedy occurred.

Pranshu was a promising makeup artist and content creator with over 15,000 Instagram followers and 300 posts, most of which depicted him wearing different types of saris and dresses and wearing makeup including nail polish and lipstick.

His last post was on Diwali on November 12, with the boy dressed in a red sari and traditional jewellery. The post attracted tons of homophobic comments from online trolls who mocked Pranshu for cross-dressing.

Meanwhile, members of the LGBTQIA+ community took to social media platforms to express their grief over the teen’s suicide and called on authorities to punish those who pushed him to the limit.