Sule announces statewide campaign against dowry, domestic violence from June 22

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule announced a campaign for a dowry-free, domestic violence-free Maharashtra after Vaishnavi Hagawane's tragic death.

Mumbai: Following the alleged dowry-related suicide of Pune resident Vaishnavi Hagawane last week, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Friday said the party would launch a state-level campaign to make Maharashtra a dowry-free and domestic violence-free state.

Supriya Sule

“Maharashtra today is in shock due to this incident (Vaishavi Hagawane’s death). Mere expressions of anger and sorrow will not suffice; a powerful and active awakening must take place,” Sule told reporters in Mumbai while making the announcement. The campaign for a “dowry-free Maharashtra and violence-free families” would be launched from Pune on June 22 and continue through the year in phases, she said.

June 22 is a significant day for women’s rights in Maharashtra as 33% reservation was granted to women in local bodies in the state in 1994, when Sule’s father and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar was the chief minister.

Sule harked back to the decision on Friday, saying it had led to many social, political, and economic changes in the lives of women. “Yet the harsh reality remains that evil practices like dowry and domestic violence against women have not been eradicated,” she said.

The NCP (SP) working president urged all sections of society to participate in the campaign.

“Only through this movement can the goal of a ‘dowry-free Maharashtra and violence-free families’ be achieved,” Sule said, dedicating the campaign to Vaishnavi Hagawane, who was found dead at her in-laws’ residence in Pune on May 16.

The deceased’s Anil Kaspate has accused the Hagawane family of torturing and harassing her over dowry demands. He also suspects that she was killed by her in-laws as there were several injury marks on her body. All the accused in the case have been arrested by the police.

Commenting on the case in a post on social media platform X, Sule said, “Maharashtra, a state that has led the nation in women’s liberation, faces an outrageously saddening loss in the sacrifice of a daughter like Vaishnavi. This incident deeply disturbs every sensitive person.”