Delhi sees one dowry death in three days

Did you know that at least one dowry death is reported from Delhi every third day? At least this is what the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRCB) says. In 2011, 142 women had died due to their in-laws’ greed for dowry. Karn Pratap Singh reports

Did you know that at least one dowry death is reported from Delhi every third day? At least this is what the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRCB) says. In 2011, 142 women had died due to their in-laws’ greed for dowry.

HT Image

Delhi’s figure exceeds that of four other metropolitan cities (Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad) put together, which comes out to be 115.

And contrary to the popular perception, it’s not rural societies who are falling prey to greed, but urban and educated families, said Rishikant, executive member of Shakti Vahini, an NGO.

The present year alone witnessed as many as 10 major incidents of dowry deaths. Among them was the shocking death of a 24-year-old pregnant woman who was allegedly killed by her in-laws at their north Delhi’s Aryapura for dowry.

In 2010, 8,391 such deaths were reported from across the country. In 2000, 6,995 women had lost their lives to dowry.

Explaining the reason for this alarming trend, Rishikant said, “The anger within couples, especially educated and self-dependent ones, is rising. The more educated the boy, the higher is the demand for dowry. And if their demands are not met, they start harassing girls, who feel their rights are being violated. They protest and things worsen."