Story of Arvey: As Pride Month ends; homophobia takes yet another life!

Arvey had been dealing with prolonged bullying at school since he was in sixth grade. The students sexually assaulted him in the school bathroom, said Aarti Malhotra, Arvey's mother.

She alleges that, despite complaints to the authorities, the matter fell on deaf ears. In a post shared by Humans Of Bombay, Arvey's mother recounted his years of ordeal and how his peers continually bullied him and even sexually assaulted him.

Aarti said that the bullying began when he was in sixth grade. “The bullying started in sixth grade. Arvey cried, "The boys call me chakka." I was a teacher at the same school, DPS. I complained to the authorities but they told me: 'He is a nautanki!' He told her that things would get better. He tried to be 'manly' by playing volleyball. But it wasn't for him. He loved art and music; that made him happy. But at every turn, he was teased for being 'girly,'" he said.

Arvey Malhotra, son of Aarti Malhotra, jumped from the top floor of the society in Greater Faridabad, where he lived with his mother, on February 24, 2022, when his mother was at his father's house.

Arvey had left a suicide note for his mother, in which he wrote: "This school has killed me. Especially the higher authorities… tell ninna and dad about my sexuality and what happened to me. And please try to handle them… You are wonderful, strong, beautiful and amazing” and has also held one of his school teachers responsible for this.

According to the Humans of Bombay post, Arvey had been dealing with bullying since he was in sixth grade. “The bullying started in sixth grade. Arvey cried, "The boys call me chakka." I was a teacher at the same school, DPS. I complained to the authorities but they told me: 'He is a nautanki!' He told her that things would get better. He tried to be 'manly' by playing volleyball. But it wasn't for him. He loved art and music; that made him happy. But at every turn, he was teased for being 'girly,'" she said.

Malhotra shared all the evidence of the sexual assault, including her son's voice notes, with the police, but the police have not made any arrests or filed a charge sheet. She accused police of watering down the charges and intentionally delaying the investigation to give the school enough time to build a defence for her.

Arvey's mother, who was also a teacher in DPS, was illegally fired from her job after Arvey's death. She was a single mother and the only source of income for the family. She has been trying to expedite the investigation and filing of a charge sheet for the past four months. She has only received false assurances from the police and no action has been taken despite the evidence being shared and statements being collected, she said.

The bullying had affected him negatively and even he was afraid to go back to school for exams after the holidays. “One day, he said, ‘Ma, I like to wear nail polish and jewellery. I told him: 'I know who you are!' I was glad he was happy! But it was short-lived. When the school reopened for exams, he became active. He said: 'I don't want to take the exam tomorrow'. He kept crying, so I texted him, 'Okay, skip the paper.' But he didn't reply."

"An hour later, I got a call from my society, 'Come home, Arvey did something!' I told them to take him to the hospital and when I got there, they pronounced him dead; he had jumped from the 15th floor. his suicide note told me to get a new job and that i was the best mother in the world. I sobbed; my whole world was taken away from me,” Aarti said as he shared his heartbreaking story.

On February 26, 2022, she reported to the police that nine students were harassing her son in the school bathroom. She alleges that despite filing a complaint against the children, no action was taken against them and she was threatened that if she continues the matter, the school will not admit her child next year.

Meanwhile, school authorities have denied the accusations made by Ms. Malhotra and, as quoted by news reports, have said that although they received the document mentioning the names of the students who were bullying Arvey, those students already are not part of the school.

She further added "After, I was terminated. And a teacher he’d accused of harassment was arrested for a few days before being bailed out. She’ll re–join the school soon. It’s been 6 months since my son left the world & I’ve been in & out of the police station. The school didn’t even hold a prayer for his lost soul. That’s how spineless they’ve been. I won’t forgive them. I’ve nothing to lose now & I’ll make sure my son’s soul rests in peace."

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