Rahul Ravindran deleted X after abusive messages targeted his family and children.
Online debate surrounding the Ketan Agarwal case escalated into widespread personal attacks.
Chinmayi Sripada defended Rahul before the filmmaker announced his exit from X.
Rahul Ravindran has announced that he is stepping away from X after receiving abusive messages and death threats directed at his children. The filmmaker revealed that the online abuse came after his comments during a debate surrounding the death of Pune resident Ketan Agarwal. His decision has drawn attention to the growing impact of online harassment on public figures and their families.
Rahul Ravindran says online abuse changed how he felt
The controversy began after an X user questioned Rahul about making a film on alleged atrocities against men while referring to the Ketan Agarwal case. Rahul responded by stating that society is inherently patriarchal, a remark that soon triggered widespread debate and personal attacks online.
Explaining why he chose to leave the platform, Rahul said he had originally opened X to check football updates during the Brazil vs Japan match but instead looked at his notifications.
Death threats against children prompt Rahul Ravindran to leave X
Rahul revealed that reading the abusive messages left him angry and emotionally disturbed. It was shared by the filmmaker that he "didn't like the guy" he became after seeing the comments and did not want social media to have that level of control over his emotions.
It was further stated by Rahul that he had wanted to leave X for a long time, but continued using it because it remained one of his favourite sources for sports news beyond cricket. He also acknowledged that some people might believe he was overreacting before confirming that he was deleting the application from his phone.
The online backlash intensified after singer Chinmayi Sripada defended her husband by sharing one of his earlier posts about empathy, marriage and mutual respect. Her support led to further criticism directed at the couple, widening the controversy before Rahul ultimately decided to step away from the platform.
