MUMBAI: As Roshan Suvarna remains in police custody for allegedly stabbing co-passenger Mayank Lohar to death on a Mumbai local train, his family says they have become victims of what they describe as a “social media trial”.While insisting they do not justify the alleged crime, they claim the intense online backlash following the viral videos has begun affecting their livelihoods, jobs and everyday lives.Speaking after Suvarna’s arrest, his brother Prashant said the family was not defending his alleged actions but felt they, too, were being punished.“While we do not condone the offence, there is a social media trial going on right now, which is impacting our lives and jobs too,” he said.According to Prashant, Suvarna returned home late on Tuesday night after the incident and appeared visibly disturbed.“He started crying after reaching home. We did not prod because he was inebriated and asked him to go to bed. The next morning, he told us about the incident,” Prashant said.The family has also claimed Suvarna had consumed alcohol after work that evening. Police, however, said they are verifying the claim.According to the family, Suvarna later told them and a close friend that he intended to travel to his hometown in Mangaluru for a few days before leaving the house.A close friend claimed Suvarna had narrated that an argument broke out over keeping the train door shut during the rains and that some passengers allegedly manhandled him during the altercation.Prashant claimed that Government Railway Police first questioned his father before reaching their residence and speaking to his mother.“They first picked up my father for questioning. Then police came home and questioned my mother. After we informed him over the phone, he said he would return and surrender before police,” Prashant said.Police, however, tracked Suvarna to Panvel and arrested him before he could do so.Suvarna has been accused of fatally stabbing 21-year-old Mayank Lohar inside a first-class compartment of a Churchgate-Nalasopara fast local on Tuesday night after an argument over whether the coach door should remain open during heavy rain.Investigators have alleged that following a brief altercation, Suvarna attacked Lohar with a knife before fleeing the train.He was arrested the following day after an extensive search.
