Ketan Agarwal Case: Men’s Commission Bill Revived In Rajya Sabha By BJP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal

Nothing says "genuine legislative concern" quite like waiting seven months and one gruesome murder to remember a bill exists. Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal has revived his private member's bill seeking a National Commission for Men , conveniently timing renewed attention to it with the murder of 26 year old Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal .

In a post on X, Mittal said, "Pune Ketan Agarwal case is deeply disturbing. Ketan and his family deserve a fair, thorough, and impartial investigation, and above all, justice." He added, "I introduced the National Commission for Men Bill in Parliament. Every victim deserves justice, support, and equal protection under the law." He also said, "The Ketan case is a reminder that men, too, can be victims. They deserve institutional support, legal protection, and a platform where their voices are heard. Justice must be equal for everyone, irrespective of gender."

Mittal's supporters point to figures such as the widely cited 785 husbands allegedly murdered by their wives across five states, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, over five years, roughly 157 cases annually, as evidence that male victimhood is real and underreported. It is, and nobody seriously disputes that. But context matters. NCRB data shows over 4.7 lakh crimes against women were registered nationally in a single recent year, translating to more than 1,200 cases reported daily , spanning cruelty by husbands or relatives under Section 498A , dowry deaths, rape and abduction, categories that dwarf the men's figures by volume even as both remain serious in their own right.

The bill itself is not new. Mittal first tabled it on December 6, 2025, back when he was still with the AAP , months before he and six other AAP MPs merged into the BJP this April. It proposes ₹3,650 crore through 2030 and specifically targets Section 498A over misuse concerns, sitting quietly "introduced" until a murder case gave it fresh oxygen. Since Independence, only fourteen private member's bills have become law, none since 1970, making this look rather more like opportunism than policy, especially given India already has the Dowry Prohibition Act , the Domestic Violence Act and 498A on the books for women, laws that exist yet still struggle with enforcement, a gap a new men's commission alone will not fix either.

As for the case itself, Ketan Agarwal died on June 18 falling from Lohagad Fort , allegedly pushed by fiancée Siya Goyal and her lover Chetan Chaudhary , who feared social stigma over calling off the wedding. Police recovered a Snapchat message from Siya calling the marriage off weeks earlier, and a third suspect from Beed is now being questioned. Both accused remain in judicial custody till July 16, and Ketan's grandfather Devichand Agarwal died of grief on July 4, just 17 days later.