Just days after the shocking death of a woman in Greater Noida allegedly set ablaze by her husband over dowry dispute, comes the news of a lecturer from Jodhpur succumbing to her burn injuries after she took her own life for similar reasons. She left a note saying she could not take any more of the harassment for dowry from her marital family. Her decision to set her minor daughter on fire along with her is indicative of her distress and despair.
These horrific dowry death cases are neither random nor isolated. According to the latest National Crime Record Bureau data (2022), 6,450 dowry deaths were registered across India. In 2024, over 4,383 cases constituting 17 per cent of the total complaints received by the National Commission for Women (NCW) were related to dowry harassment and: 292 cases to dowry deaths. Cases reported in the last six months from different parts of the country underscore the impunity with which women continue to be killed at will when dowry is seen to be lower than desired by the groom or his family.
In Uttar Pradesh, a woman died after a hot iron was pressed against parts of her body for not bringing enough dowry. In Punjab, dowry harassment led a young bride to end her life. Investigations into the case of a 23-year-old software engineer in Karnataka initially reported to have died from a fall, revealed she had been murdered for lack of dowry. In Kerala, venomous snakes were used by the husband to murder the wife to take sole control of their property. In Tamil Nadu, a 27-year-old woman died by suicide in her car just three months after her marriage. In the audio messages she sent to her father before consuming poison, she said she could not bear the torture any longer. Despite the physical and mental abuse, women are compelled to adjust and continue living in their matrimonial homes because they have been conditioned to think it is 'the right thing to do'. Parents succumb to societal pressure and fear of social stigma. This lack of family support closes all doors for the women and knowing she has nowhere to go, emboldens her marital family to continue the violence. Despite dowry being prohibited by law, gender inequality, low value of women and belief that girls are a burden, perpetuates this widespread gendered practice. The practice of dowry not only affects women after marriage, it also impacts them before they are born. The financial implication of dowry given at the girl's marriage has led many to opt for sex selective abortions. A majority of states in the country continue to have skewed sex ratio in favour of boys with sex selective abortions preventing the birth of millions of unwanted girls. In fact, according to a NCW report, dowry deaths are higher in districts with skewed sex ratios. Despite the Pre- Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technique s Act, 1994, enacted to stop the practice of female foeticide and restore gender balance, boys continue to outnumber girls. The sex ratio at birth even in the national capital Delhi, recorded a decline for three successive years as per the 2023 annual report on registration of births and deaths.
If they are lucky to be born, families start saving resources for the inevitability of dowry. A recent study of the gender implication of dowry and women's health in India has found increased dowry prevalence to be associated with increased poor self-rated health for women. It states that dowry prevalence can erode women's health by diminishing their status. In addition to eroding health through psychosocial mechanisms, women's lower status affects her health by creating barriers to accessing health care. Unsurprisingly, India is ranked 131st out of 148 countries in the 2025 Global Gender Gap report. Not only is India down by three positions from 2024, it is lagging way behind neighbours Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. India has committed to deliver on all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 including. SDG 3 and SDG 5 (gender equality).With just 64 months left to fulfil its promise, time is running out for women.
The writer is journalist writing on development and gender
