DELUSIONAL TAKE: “Siya’s extreme behaviour is being justified by some as being the last resort of a trapped girl who wanted out but was denied choice,” Writes Columnist Shobhaa De

FIFTEEN DAYS HAVE PASSED since the death of 26-year-old Pune-based businessman Ketan Agarwal. He was allegedly pushed to his death from Lohagad Fort in Maharashtra by his fiancée, Siya Goyal (20), and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary (22), on June 18, 2026. The Ketan Agarwal murder case has become a nationwide topic of discussion, with several narratives shifting focus to various aspects of the case.

However, social media users have called out columnists for indirectly justifying the parental pressure faced by Siya Goyal as the reason behind her alleged involvement in the murder of her fiancé. On July 1, 2026, men's rights activist and journalist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj took to X to criticize an article titled 'Arranged marriage, Gen Z and a hair patch—the twisted Ketan Agarwal murder case' written by columnist Shobhaa De. Shobhaa De's opinion piece was published by ThePrint on June 30, 2026.

See Also: Secret Signals and ₹1 Crore Exchanged Between Accused: New Details Emerge in the Ketan Agarwal Murder

Bhardwaj criticized Shobhaa De’s article for allegedly mocking the death of Ketan Agarwal. She argued by presenting a hypothetical scenario, writing that if the situation were reversed and a male journalist had written an article about the murder of a young woman by her fiancé and "justified it by saying she deserved it for not being beautiful," all hell would have broken loose.

She continued, "It would have been the top news story in the nation. The journalist would have been boycotted by the industry, the article would have been immediately pulled down, the Women's Commission would have summoned the journalist and the media house, and an FIR would also have been registered."

What did Shobhaa De write about Siya Goyal? 

Shobhaa De wrote about how Gen Z has been supporting Siya Goyal's alleged actions, arguing that she was pressured by her family to get married at the age of 19. “Siya’s extreme behaviour is being justified by some as being the last resort of a trapped girl who wanted out but was denied choice,” she added. 

Siya Goyal had been engaged to Ketan Agarwal since February 2026, and the two were set to tie the knot in November 2026 in a lavish wedding ceremony in Jaipur, Rajasthan. "Gen Z identifies with her struggle, desperation and trauma, arguing she had no other option but to get rid of her husband-to-be. Yup. That casually," wrote Shobhaa De.

Her article explaining Siya Goyal’s preference for Chetan Chaudhary over Ketan Agarwal on the basis of physical appearance, has been facing intense scrutiny on the internet. Many critics, including Deepika Bhardwaj, have accused Shobhaa De of "mocking" a man who was allegedly murdered by his fiancée.

See Also: Did Siya Goyal Kill Ketan Agarwal Because He Wore a Wig Patch?

In her opinion article, Shobhaa De wrote, "Clearly, she was not physically attracted to the man hand-picked for her by the elders. He was not her type!" Referring to Chetan Chaudhary, Siya Goyal’s alleged lover, as "hatta katta, hirsute," she added that Chaudhary had enough hair on his head and suggested that Goyal’s relationship with Ketan Agarwal was forced. 

Bhardwaj wrote that news channels should also broadcast the words written by Shobhaa De in her article. "But probably they also won't. She's not even a comedian to pass this off as a joke. Even if she did, we have had FIRs against comedians for saying anything offensive about women. She will just get away," wrote Bhardwaj.

Several users on X criticized ThePrint for publishing Shobhaa De’s article. "Fictional writers should not be given this much platform and definitely not be considered intellectuals," wrote one user on X.

Siya Goyal and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, are co-accused in the murder case of Ketan Agarwal, who died after falling from Lohagad Fort in Maharashtra. The investigation is currently ongoing, and further details in the Ketan Agarwal murder case are awaited.

[VS]
(Edited by Ritik Singh)

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