As dowry deaths increase, Indian women keep paying the price for systemic, moral failure

Trigger Warning: Instances of domestic violence and suicide

Last month, Nikki Bhati from Greater Noida succumbed to severe burn injuries in a city hospital. Her sister Kanchan—married into the same family—alleged that Nikki was set ablaze following harassment of dowry demands and abuse for nine years. The case is caught in the quagmire of claims and counterclaims as the news cycle continues.

Just a few days later, 22-year-old pregnant Komal (Varsha) was found dead in Delhi’s Dwarka. Her family alleged that there were persistent demands for dowry, and Komal was continuously harassed by her in-laws.

In June, an audio recording of 27-year-old newlywed Ridhanya, who died by suicide in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur, made the headlines, where she detailed the harassment and abuse by her husband and in-laws. Her parents had gifted her 100 sovereigns of gold and an expensive car, but the demands showed no respite. 

Over half a century since the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 outlawed the giving and taking of dowry, the statistics paint a grim picture of how pervasive the practice still is in India. Section 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which replaces Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), continues to criminalise cruelty by a husband or his relatives against a woman. However, the laws designed to protect women continue to fail them.

India’s last consolidated NCRB figures (Crime in India 2022) reported 6,516 dowry deaths—nearly 20 lives lost daily. The burden fell disproportionately on Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, which together accounted for nearly half the cases. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest dowry deaths at 2,142 deaths. Bihar had 1,057 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 520, Rajasthan with 451, and West Bengal with 427.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) recorded 4,383 complaints of dowry harassment and 292 dowry deaths nationwide in 2024.

Equally telling is the justice gap. At the close of 2022, about 60,577 dowry-death cases were still pending, and conviction was secured in only about one-third of cases, with families caught in an endless cycle of court hearings and delays. 

The question that arises is, when will Nikki, Ridhanya, Komal, and many others like them, trapped in dowry-related violence, get justice? Perhaps, not in the immediate future.

According to the National Family Health Survey - 5 (NHFS), about 77% of women remain silent about domestic violence episodes, often due to fear of reprisal, social pressure, and lack of trust in the police. 

Further, a startling 45% of women and 44% of men in India believe a husband is justified in beating his wife under certain circumstances, such as if she refuses to perform her duties, disrespects her in-laws, or argues with him. 

These numbers suggest that domestic violence is normalised and justified by a significant proportion of the population. Dowry-related deaths are a severe form of gender-based, intimate partner violence. 

It’s been 78 years since independence, but Indian women are still caught in the fault lines of patriarchy and economics. Despite the progress in education and literacy, marriage is often viewed as a transaction, where a groom’s job, earnings, and family status dictate how much a bride’s family must offer. Consumerism has only broadened this greed.

The question arises: How can this cycle end? 

Education alone isn’t enough; parents of girls must listen to them and not urge them to tolerate or return to their abusive husbands and their families. With the absence of a safety net, girls facing abuse often resort to extreme measures, such as suicide. 

Interventions must happen culturally, socially, and at the community level to dismantle the social acceptance of dowry. Girls must be empowered with information and the power to speak up against any injustice, right from the time they are in school.

The police must move from being investigators to gatekeepers of justice. All dowry-related death investigations must be free from influence and supervised by a high-level officer. They must act swiftly and make sure investigations don’t stall.

All dowry-related death cases should be tried by special-track courts to ensure quick justice. The legal system should be held accountable for delayed trials. Most importantly, families of victims should be provided with support systems, legal aid, counselling, and financial assistance, so that cases are not abandoned midway. 

While dowry is a criminal act, it’s also our moral and systemic failure in protecting our girls. Unless we treat it as such, the deaths of these young girls will haunt our collective conscience.

(If you know someone—friend, colleague, or family member—at risk of suicide, please reach out to the following helplines—KIRAN (Government of India Helpline: 1800-599-0019; AASRA - Helpline: 022-2754 6669 (or +91-22-27546669); Vandrevala Foundation -  Helpline: +91 9999 666 555 (or 1860-266-2345 / 1800-2333-330)

(Image credit: Dibakar Roy on Unsplash)