‘Insensitive and disgusting’: Influencer faces backlash over GRWM video discussing Kolkata rape and murder case

The entire country is in shock over the horrific rape and murder of a young doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The incident sparked a nationwide protest, demanding justice for the victim. Several celebrities and influencers have taken to social media calling for strict action against the accused, however, one such influencer, Sarah Saroshh She sparked a controversy with a video on Instagram in which she is seen talking about the horror of Calcutta. But what went wrong?

The now-deleted video was purportedly a makeup tutorial and in the voiceover, she spoke about the rape and murder case. Users on social media slammed her, calling it “insensitive” and “tone deaf.”

The video was initially shared on Wednesday, where Sarah is seen dressed in a white coat, posing for the camera and applying makeup. However, the voiceover begins with a story describing the tragic news of a young doctor. She begins by saying, “Brace yourself with me as I tell you about a friend of mine who went to college, completed her MBBS, and is actually doing her masters.”

Continuing with her makeup tutorial, she went on to describe the horrific events that led to the doctor’s brutal death. She said, “One night, when she was finishing her studies and her work and was sleeping, she was raped and murdered. While on duty, inside the hospital premises. What do I tell her parents? How do they view her body? How do they face society?”

The audio goes on to shed light on societal attitudes towards rape victims and laments how too often the victim is blamed rather than the perpetrator.

The voice-over concludes: “No, she wasn’t my friend, but she could have been. Because, after all, we still have no answers for her parents. The director of the hospital where she studied has no answers either. They just lost their daughter, brutally murdered, and we’re all left without answers.”

However, it sparked widespread backlash and criticism, with users calling it “disgusting” and “exploitative.”

Sarah, after being called out for the video, apologized and said she had recorded the video two months ago but posted it with the voiceover talking about current affairs without realizing how “inappropriate” it could be. She also added: “I deleted the video within 5 minutes of the comments making me realize that the message was in poor taste on my part.”

She ended her apology by saying, “I deeply apologize for my actions to all those who came across my content through screenshots of my deleted content on social media. I will not stop talking about the case because it has really shaken me, but please be very, very careful with how I convey news on my platform.”

However, even the apology was not well received by many users on social media. One X user wrote: “It is absolutely disgusting and beyond reprehensible that someone would make fun of a rape case in order to gain attention on social media. People like this are a disgrace and should be denounced and condemned in the strongest terms. They contribute nothing to society and only make the world a worse place. We need more and more mental institutions for this social media f***ing flu.”

Another said: “How can they be influencers? What are they influencing and who? This term is being abused now. In every neighbourhood there is an influencer. They are people hungry for views. They jump on anything that is trending to get views and then apologise saying they didn’t think it would make them feel bad.”

“This shows that women are women’s worst enemies,” said another.

Another user commented: “What the hell is wrong with these people? Seriously? Just like we’ve turned politicians and bureaucrats into demigods, we’ve now turned these so-called #influencers into larger than life people? They should ban her.”