‘Men, too, can be victims’: Ex-AAP MP calls for National Commission for Men, cites Pune Ketan Agarwal murder case

In light of the alleged murder case of Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Rajya Sabha member and Lovely Professional University founder, reiterated his call for a “National Commission for Men”.

Ketan was reportedly pushed to his death from a cliff at Lohagad Fort by his fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, on June 18.

Siya (20) and Chetan (22) have been sent to 14 days of judicial custody till July 16. The court turned down the plea for an extension of police custody, while also rejecting the application for a polygraph test after both accused officially refused to undergo the lie-detector examination.

Mittal termed the case “deeply disturbing” and shared a Rajya Sabha clip from December 2025 when he moved a private member's bill.

“Pune Ketan Agarwal case is deeply disturbing. Ketan and his family deserve a fair, thorough, and impartial investigation, and above all, justice,” Mittal wrote on X.

“The Ketan case is a reminder that men, too, can be victims,” he wrote. “They deserve institutional support, legal protection, and a platform where their voices are heard. Justice must be equal for everyone, irrespective of gender.”

What does the National Commission for Men Bill say?

The National Commission for Men Bill, 2025, has an “introduced” status on the Rajya Sabha website.

The proposed bill outlines a statutory framework to establish a National Commission for Men, aimed at protecting men's rights, addressing grievances, and reviewing policies that affect their physical, mental, and social well-being.

The commission will be designed to ensure diverse, expert leadership with significant legal authority, headed by a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, each with at least 15 years of eminence in fields such as law, public administration, gender studies, sociology, psychology, or social work.

The bill mandates that the membership must include at least one individual from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) and at least one member under the age of 40. When conducting inquiries, the commission will operate with the powers of a civil court.

The body, according to the bill, will serve as an investigative and academic hub for men's issues, including examining matters related to the violation or deprivation of men's constitutional rights, and sponsoring and conducting research on critical issues affecting men, including suicide rates, health disparities, unemployment, custodial rights, and domestic abuse.

The commission, it said, will offer direct assistance and work to reshape societal narratives, like providing counselling, legal aid, and rehabilitation services to men in distress.

It also proposes collaborating with academic bodies (such as CBSE, NCERT, and UGC) to launch campaigns that foster gender sensitivity, promote "healthy masculinity," and encourage emotional intelligence and nonviolence among young men.

The bill includes strict boundaries to ensure the new commission does not undermine existing protections for women. The provisions cannot be used to limit or affect the rights and protections currently granted to women under existing laws.

The commission is prohibited from intervening in any complaint brought forward by a woman, unless a competent court has formally declared her complaint to be false, malicious, or an abuse of the legal process.

This proposed private bill mirrors the National Commission for Women (NCW), a statutory body established in January 1992 (under a 1990 law) that reviews legal safeguards, recommends legislation, and facilitates grievance redressal for women.

Do private bills become law?

Private bills hardly get to even the voting stage. Since Independence, only 14 such bills have become law, and none have successfully passed both Houses of Parliament since 1970.