‘Teri aukaat bhi nahi hai’: Gurugram woman says lover choked, slapped her ’black and blue’, slammed head into wall

A 24-year-old woman alleged she was abused and slapped by a man she was in “love” with. Kushalini Paul took to LinkedIn on Saturday to share her ordeal. She said she had started talking to one Soutik Ganguly on Instagram two years ago.

“He seemed intriguing, but when we met in Delhi, he looked nothing like his photos. He was older and much heavier than I expected,” Paul wrote in a long LinkedIn post. She said, “Despite my shock, I chose to be understanding. Having faced body shaming young, I empathized with his insecurities.”

“But in reality, I was blinded by love and naivety,” she added.

Kushalini Paul said she identified “red flags” when “for over a year, he hid me from his social life, called me loud, and not ‘submissive’ like his exes.”

Slapped me ‘blue and black’

In the post, she recalled the day when Soutik slapped her “blue and black”.

“In July, outside the hotel my mother was staying, he first slapped me, convincing me I was drunk, disrespectful and he was ‘managing the situation.’ I believed him,” Paul said.

Paul stayed “for change” even “as the ‘minor’ abuses escalated”.

She said “Soutik was furious” when she told him about her selection in her “dream university in Berlin”.

Paul said, “Three weeks ago, I got into my dream university in Berlin. Soutik was furious, demanding marriage and children. He later apologized, and we met on March 21st.”

“But once intoxicated and alone, he snapped when the topic resurfaced,” Paul added.

She alleged that Soutik “slapped me black and blue, pulled my hair, slammed my head into the wall, and kicked me. I tore his shirt, bit his hand, fought back, but he was stronger. He choked me until I could barely breathe.”

“I begged him to leave. He left smiling, saying: “Teri aukaat bhi nahi hai. Learn how to behave, if you try to leave, I will impregnate you and then marry you,” Kushalini Paul said.

‘Police refused to file an FIR’

Later on in the post, Kushalini Paul said she called her sister, who insisted she go to the police. “At the Women’s Police Station, two female officers refused to file an FIR. They told me to be the bigger person and forgive,” Paul alleged.

‘Soutik twisted the story’

Paul said, “Soutik twisted the story”. He allegedly used old texts to paint her “as suicidal, crazy, and addicted”.

“He claimed he hit me ‘to protect himself and stop my drug use’. Ironically, he triggers and practices the very behaviors he accuses me of,” Paul alleged.

“First abuse and now defamation of a woman’s character? It’s Criminal,” he asked.

Paul said Soutik’s father, “a high-ranking Air Force officer”, arrived in uniform, “trying to use his influence a privilege Soutik has, but I don’t.”

“Yes, I made a mistake I loved the wrong man and trusted blindly. But what happened to me wasn’t my fault. Men like Soutik move on to another victim while I, a 24-year-old woman, am left traumatized for life. I refuse to be silent and break down,” Paul concluded the post.

‘Soutik Ganguly is a serial molester’

Kushalini Paul said she “uncovered” even more as she garnered massive support by social media users. She said Soutik Ganguly is “a serial molester, abuser and a Casanova who has repeatedly deceived, manipulated, and harmed women without remorse.”

“Since speaking out on LinkedIn, I’ve uncovered even more. Throughout our relationship, #SoutikGanguly was living with another woman in Gurgaon and has been in a relationship with her since five years. Last year, his actions resulted in her undergoing surgeries related to maternity complications,” she alleged.

” I’ve also heard from young girls who had unsettling, creepy encounters with him in the past. How much more evidence do we need? Are we really going to turn a blind eye to his pattern of abuse?,” Kushalini Paul wrote.

Accused worked for travel company?

Kushalini Paul said Soutik had told her that he worked for travel company Atlys.

“Soutik was imperious, always claiming he was too busy. He said he ran Atlys because the CEO, his friend Mohak Nahta is incompetent. He said Elevation Capital and Peak XV Partners were funding Atlys for him, he’d secure his exit gradually, and his role made him irremovable from the board. He did promise me a better future,” Kushalini Paul said.

Reacting to the claims, Atlys CEO Mohak Nahta said in a statement to Mint that Soutik is no longer associated with Atlys.

“I am deeply heartbroken by what has come to light. No one should ever have to endure such pain. I respect the courage it takes to speak out,” Mohak Nahta’s statement read.

He added, “Atlys takes this matter with the utmost seriousness. Following the matter, Soutik is no longer associated with Atlys. As we continue to understand the full extent of the situation, we remain committed to offering all necessary support and standing firmly by our values of safety, dignity, and accountability.”