"The best way to maintain your sanity is to stay away from social media," Anurag Kashyap said in a recent interview. What transpired in the wake of Sushant Singh Rajput's death is a slur of accusations on social media, countless conspiracy theories, a formation of unhealthy divides, rape threats being hurled at daughters of Bollywood stars and endless hashtags baying for blood.
This mud-slinging and the fear of expressing one's opinions took me back to somewhat gentler times when thought went into forming opinions, there was enough room for discussions and making a point did not mean being screamed at or put down.
What should have ideally happened in the past one-and-a-half months is an assessment of mental health, the role of media, responsibility of platforms such as Twitter and Instagram in creating a safer space, and cyberbullying. Instead what we witnessed was a complete circus, with everyone trying to conjure narratives that further their ulterior motives.
Let us take a step back and look at all that has gone wrong: