Mary D’Costa, the woman allegedly linked to Smriti Mandhana and Palaash Muchhal’s postponed wedding, says she is being badly harassed online. She claims she has received rape threats, hateful messages and abusive comments from fake Instagram accounts.
Mary clarifies that the viral chat screenshots are from April and that she has never met Palaash. She has also said she is not connected in any way to the wedding being postponed.
In her Instagram Stories, Mary posted screenshots of the threats, which include violent language, racial slurs and insults about her looks and character. She wrote that she had “no words” for the hate she is facing.
The language of the threat messages she apparently received is not suitable for publication here. Check this revised version:
“Unki shaadi ho rahi thi to tujhe kya problem this? jab usne tujhse baat kiya, tabhi kyun nahi dikhayi… jo bechari Smriti ka dil shaadi se ek raat pehle dikha karke toda. Tu mujhe baahar mil tujhe itna bura…”
And, here is a translated version:
“If their wedding was happening, why was it a problem for you? When he spoke to you, why didn’t you show it then? Why did you break poor Smriti’s heart by revealing everything just one night before the wedding? You meet me outside… I’ll teach you such a terrible lesson,” says one of the messages.
“Why are you causing trouble by sharing old chats from May? If they were getting married, why involve yourself in their matter now? It looks like you’re doing this just for attention. Stop interfering in their personal lives and let them move on,” says another message.
Well, of course, this is a toned-down version to give the context. The original message is too disturbing to read due to its massively-abusive and racial nature.
Mary D’Costa
Rumours around Smriti Mandhana and Palash Muchhal’s postponed wedding led to heavy online speculation, and Mary D’Costa became the centre of the backlash.
The official version says that the wedding was delayed because Smriti Mandhana’s father fell ill. However, Reddit and Instagram soon circulated unverified screenshots claiming to show private chats between D’Costa and Palash.
Many people then assumed the chats were linked to the sudden postponement. Responding to this, D’Costa posted a clarification on Instagram, saying she had never met Palash Muchhal.
“I follow cricket, and I adore Smriti Mandhana. I would never hurt another woman like that, which is part of why I felt the need to be transparent about everything,” Mary says in a social media message.
“I genuinely didn’t expect this kind of backlash. I had to make my account private because I honestly can’t handle the hate, and I didn’t think I would have to go through all of this,” she adds.
LiveMint could not independently verify the authenticity of the Instagram account, which posted this message. The identity of Mary D’Costa remains largely unknown.
Social media stands by Mary D’Costa
Social media users have mostly stood by Mary D’Costa.
“You saved her whole life, so she won’t suffer that trauma forever,” wrote one of them.
“As a man, thank you for saving our queen’s life,” commented another.
Another wrote, “You saved her life! That’s it. Love, and More power to you.”
“The guy is clearly the one at fault, yet somehow it’s always the woman who gets blamed. Crazy,” came from another.
