(Trigger warning: Mention of self-harm, suicide. If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs)
Delhi-based rapper MC Kode, aka Aditya Tiwari (22), went missing on 2 June after posting an Instagram story that hinted at suicide ideation. Police lodged an FIR of kidnapping and started their investigation on Saturday, 5 June. They said his last location, according to his phone, was in Noida, before it was switched off, reported The Indian Express. He still hasn’t been traced.
“Using technical surveillance, police found that his phone was last active in Noida on May 25. It was then switched off. They have now requested social media sites to provide information on his account,” the report said, quoting police sources.
Right before going missing, Kode put out the following message: “I do not blame anyone for anything but myself. A relief from my own existence is gonna serve as a punishment that the entire country wanted.”
He posted the message after he was allegedly being constantly barraged with threats, abuse, complaints and reportedly bounties were being placed on his head for his alleged ‘Hinduphobic remarks’. A video of him from 2016 showed Kode making controversial remarks about the Mahabharata. Despite an apology from him, the hate just kept increasing.
“The video was shot when he was 17. He had just started doing battle raps. He apologised for what he had said as well. Look at him for who he is as a whole right? More than anything, people are rallying behind him as he helped them. When the lockdown was lifted after the first wave, he arranged open-mic nights for new artists. He collaborated with multiple people and eventually unknown artists gained visibility because of him,” his friend Shodhan* said.
‘Please Come Back’: A Mother’s Heartbreaking Appeal
Kode’s mother, Deepa Tiwari appealed to her son to “come back.” As per ANI, she pleaded, "Aditya your mother will also die with you, please come back, all are with you and we will solve all problems. Every day is a new day, please come back we are waiting for you.”
Blaming social media trolling for her son’s misery, Tiwary said, “He is a very sensitive boy, when the trolling episode did not stop even after several apologise, he went into darkness. He stopped getting work and his career was completely finished.”
What is the Controversy About?
The controversy started when Instagram handles started sharing an old video of Kode. He could be seen making derogatory comments on the Mahabharata, which angered the religious sentiments of people.
Considering the context, Kode said it is important to understand that battle raps are generally places where personal and vicious attacks are made that is the nature of the activity.
Reacting to the backlash, Kode uploaded on his Instagram story on 27 May:
“I’ve angered a lot of people and that anger is understood and I deeply regret my actions…Currently all my details have been leaked including my address and there is a mass movement of people calling for a mob lynch of me and my family…Also local goons have placed a price on my head too. I am deeply sorry and I request you to please forgive me and spare me and the people associated to me their life. (sic)”
He was so affected by the entire episode that he removed all his music from streaming platforms.
However, the hate did not stop.
Members of a WhatsApp group of about 30 people aged between 18 and 28 are still hopeful about finding MC Kode. Not everyone in this group is from a performing arts background. Most are just his friends and admirers.
“We made the group on 1 June to discuss the threats that he was getting. Kode was not a part of this group as he was in a bad mental space. He had gone underground due to the constant abuses and threats. His near ones were getting rape threats. An organisation he was working had withdrawn its contract and several bounties had been placed on him by people who wished him dead or arrested,” 22-year-old rapper Jagatveer*, who is a friend of Kode and a part of this group, told The Quint.
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