- One of the most common banes observed in the Indian context is the repeated occurrences of dowry-related deaths, leading to innocent, harassed, and helpless women losing their lives. Despite Indian society having transformed into one of the leading economies in the world on the back of remarkable economic advancements achieved over the last few decades, some of the despicable practices plaguing the nation haven’t changed much at all. The digitalization endeavors initiated by successive Indian governments over the years, by embracing cutting-edge information-technology-driven applications/solutions, have been revolutionary. However, the anachronistic practices of yore continue to find place in the altered world too. This is unfortunate.
PC: LinkedIn
- Look at how women continue to be treated by a still largely patriarchal, misogynistic, and male chauvinist society that considers women’s empowerment as an imperative development but miserably fails to supplement efforts to do so. Add to the miseries of women are botched probes and low conviction rates of accused in dowry murders. As reported recently, the case of the 26-year-old woman in Greater Noida, burnt to death by her husband in front of their 6-year-old child, is but a comment on the system that abandoned her. Married into this family in 2016, she endured relentless dowry demands and violence. Yet, her parents still married off her sister into the same household, hoping against hope that she would find a better place to sustain life. Alas!
PC: Top Indian News
- The moot point to ponder over here is why they would do that when one daughter was already being tortured. What regressive social practices invisibly control these villagers who own Scorpios and can expect Rs.36L and more in dowry? Did either sister ever stand a chance of living a safe life? The truth is that in very many pockets, per NCRB’s crime records, UP, Bihar, and Haryana still lead the charts – dowry is anything but a past practice. These sisters had no access to law or state/NGO protection. They were simply married off and abandoned to violence. The question before the state, police, and courts is why men like brothers Vipin and Rohit feel confident they can brutalize their wives? After all, the law sets no deterrent.
PC: NDTV
- In 2022 – the last NCRB report – conviction in dowry death trials of that year was 33%, but conviction is just an abysmal 2% calculated against all dowry death cases pending trial – 60,577. A pendency of 94%. Forensics is broken; reports abound of untrained sanitation workers conducting autopsies because doctors refuse. Pause and consider what that means. Meanwhile, tired claims that anti-dowry laws are misused only serve to embolden perpetrators. Any dowry deaths should be subject to honest, rigorous investigation and swift, exemplary punishment. A nation aspiring for global leadership cannot tolerate young women being killed for dowry on the edge of the national capital in the 21st Nothing short of a model deterrence should be ensured.
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