Kerala man's suicide over viral video: How a woman panchayat member turned YouTuber became lone accused in the case

Shimjitha Musthafa, the 35-year-old social media influencer in Malappuram, who faces abetment charges for the suicide of 41-year-old Deepak U over a bus video of alleged misconduct, calls herself an explorer and a consultant psychologist. When Deepak ended his life, allegedly over humiliation of being featured in the video shot by Shimjitha, her profile was swarmed by a wave of outrageous comments. Shimjitha defended herself using psychological references of breaching limits and the like, triggering further backlash.

In Velleri village of Malappuram, she rose from relative anonymity to public attention after marriage. Her journey- from a little-known, educated woman in a rural setting to an elected local body representative and later a social media influencer living between Kerala and Dubai- has come under sharp scrutiny as investigators probe the circumstances surrounding Deepak's death and the influence of digital platforms on real lives.

Originally from Vatakara in Kozhikode district, Shimjitha moved to Velleri in Areekode after her marriage 16 years ago, soon after completing her Plus Two. In a social setting where it is relatively rare for married Muslim women to continue higher education, she completed her degree and pursued postgraduate studies in commerce with her husband's family's support. She also earned a BEd degree within five years of her marriage.

The turning point in her public life came with the 2020 local body elections. In the Velleri ward of Areekode Grama Panchayat, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was struggling to find a suitable woman candidate. The search eventually led to Shimjitha, whose family was known to be sympathetic to the party.

"Shimjitha was not very well known among local people then. But we decided to field her because she was well educated," said Ummer Velleri, IUML secretary of Areekode Grama Panchayat. "We wanted to groom a woman leader for the party. As a postgraduate, she was an apt candidate, with the potential to rise even to the post of panchayat president. Her victory by a huge margin surprised even party cadres. Her manners and attitude attracted voters."

In the 2015 local body elections, Ummer himself had won the ward by a margin of just 160 votes. In contrast, Shimjitha secured a decisive victory in 2020 with a margin of 538 votes, underlining her acceptance among voters despite her limited political background.

For the first three years, she was active as a panchayat member. Later, she travelled to Dubai, where her husband was working, initially on a tourist visa, and subsequently took up a job as an accountant. Though the party asked her to resign from the panchayat post, technical difficulties- particularly the need for her physical presence- prevented this. Differences soon emerged, leading to a fall-out with the party, after which public opinion in the area also turned against her, Ummer said. Eventually, her husband returned to Kerala and unofficially handled panchayat-related responsibilities by attending meetings and party gatherings.

According to party leaders, Shimjitha was initially known for her religious outlook and straightforward conduct, often appearing in public wearing a headscarf. However, they say her lifestyle and public persona underwent visible changes after her move to Dubai.

A photographer from Areekode, who was once closely associated with her, said her life in Dubai opened new avenues. "Even during her college days in Areekode, she had appeared in a few advertisement videos. But she became truly active on social media during her time in Dubai. She began vlogging and creating online content and showed little interest in continuing politics. The party made several attempts to bring her back, but she was not interested," he said.

Over the past six months, Shimjitha has been living independently in Vatakara, Kozhikode, focusing on her career as a social media influencer. The police have not divulged her present whereabouts.

Shimjitha was considered a smart and active social worker and had served as a member of the education and health standing committee of the grama panchayat. However, when she failed to return from Dubai, the opposition LDF launched protests demanding her resignation. "Her social media videos—some showing her without a headscarf and wearing a bindi on her forehead—also triggered protests from sections of IUML workers, who too demanded that she step down," said  Noushar Kallada, former president of the grama panchayat and a neighbour of Shimjitha.

Shimjitha was ready to resign, but the panchayat secretary insisted on her physical presence to submit the resignation letter. It was after this that her husband returned from Dubai, he said.

“She is now facing intense criticism following the controversy over her latest video shot on a bus, as public sentiment in this village had already turned against her,” he added.