NEW DELHI, Aug 27: The killings of 28-year-old Nikki Bhati in Greater Noida and 32-year old Parul in Amroha, both in Uttar Pradesh, or 20-year old DC Kumari in Barkhandi Tola village of Khagaria district in Bihar, all for dowry in the last few days, have once again shone the spotlight on the age-old scourge of dowry, and the violence directly linked with the practice.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NRCB) data for 2022 paints a grim picture. Over 6,000 women were killed due to dowry disputes, more than 25 times the number of women murdered following rape or gang rape in the country the same year, data show.
Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of dowry deaths with 2,138 cases, followed by Bihar at 1,057, Madhya Pradesh at 518, and West Bengal with 472 cases, according to the last available data. Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala collectively reported 442 dowry-related deaths in 2022, it stated. These are only the recorded cases.
NCRB data also show that 60,577 cases of dowry deaths were pending in courts at the end of 2022. Of these, 54,416 were carried forward from the previous years. Of the 3,689 cases in which a trial was completed in 2022, only 33 per cent resulted in convictions.
Under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, 12,826, 13,307, and 10,366 cases were registered in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively. The 2022 NCRB report states that 13,641 women were victims in cases filed under this law.
Last week, Nikki Bhati was allegedly set on fire by her husband, Vipin Bhati, and his family, allegedly over non-fulfilment of dowry demands. After Vipin attempted to take a police officer’s pistol and run away from custody, he was shot in the leg. Vipin, Rohit, and their parents have been arrested.
Days later, in Amroha district, another woman, Parul, was set on fire by her husband, a serving police constable, and his relatives over unmet dowry demands. Parul’s brother has lodged a complaint naming six accused: her husband Devendra, his mother, and four male relatives identified as Sonu, Gajesh, Jitendra and Santosh.
On Wednesday, the body of newly married DC Kumari was found hanging from a noose. She was allegedly beaten to death by her in-laws and then hanged apparently for delay in meeting their dowry demand of a chain and a vehicle. Her brother said they had sought two months’ time to fulfil their demands but they were impatient. She was married to Vibhishan Yadav about a year ago. Her husband and her in-laws constantly harassed her for dowry. All the accused are absconding.
(Manas Dasgupta)