Bengaluru | Actor and former Mandya MP Ramya on Monday filed a police complaint against online abusers, stating that she had received "rape and murder threats" after calling out fans of Kannada actor Darshan for their comments on social media.
"As a celebrity, I am used to trolling, but I haven’t experienced it to this extent," Ramya told reporters after filing her complaint at the Police Commissioner’s office here.
She said she had shared a report on the Supreme Court’s proceedings in the Renukaswamy murder case on July 24, "demanding justice" for the victim’s family. Actor Darshan is a prime suspect in the case.
"The Supreme Court questioned the bail given to actor Darshan by the (Karnataka) High Court. I just put out the newspaper coverage of it, saying that 'Supreme Court is a ray of hope for the common people of India, and I hope there will be justice for Renukaswamy'. Darshan stans started trolling me immediately," she said.
Ramya said the abuse included murder and rape threats, as well as "very sexual and vulgar messages".
"The trolling was so bad that I started to think if the situation is like this for me (a star), what would it be like for normal girls. This is why I came here to file the complaint," she said.
She added that if women do not speak up, instances of harassment will only increase.
"I thought to myself that it’s about time that someone takes some action, because it just reflects on how low society has fallen," she claimed.
Ramya said her complaint has been accepted and forwarded to the cybercrime department. "I was promised due justice," she added.
She said she had filed complaints against 43 accounts. "There were a lot more, but then I just pulled out the ones that were really, really obscene," she said.
She also expressed gratitude for the support she received from the State Women’s Commission and the film body, Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE).
"I am eternally grateful for their help, because I never reached out to them asking for help. They’ve come forward by themselves and supported me. I think in times like this, you can be courageous enough to fight alone, but if you get support, it just gives you more motivation to fight," she added.
Ramya claimed that Darshan had not reached out to her.
"Two years ago, too, I flagged messages from his fans. Darshan had not reacted even then. They were not targeting me specifically, but they were targeting (actor) Yash, his wife, his family, (actor) Sudeep, his wife, and his family. It was so obscene; their children were being targeted," she alleged.
Although she had posted about it, she did not file an official complaint at the time. "I wish I did it then too. Maybe, this Renukaswamy incident wouldn’t have happened," she added.
Ramya said celebrities must lead by example. "Tell your fans not to send vulgar or obscene messages," she insisted.
