This is a typical case of horrendous medieval mindset when a married woman is harassed, oppressed and mentally tortured for wealth and money in the name of dowry.
Even as the Indian criminal laws were comprehensively amended to include dowry as a punishable offence and Section 304B was added to the Indian Penal Code, 1860 ("IPC"), which made dowry death a specific offence punishable with a minimum sentence of imprisonment for 7 years and a maximum imprisonment for life, the social evil of asking for dowry continues to haunt the society.
A man and six of his family members from Lucknow were booked by the police for allegedly harassing his wife for Rs 50 lakh dowry on Thursday. The in-laws threw out the woman from the house when she failed to fetch that kind of money.
Women police station in charge Jyoti Sharma said that the woman is currently residing with her parents in Sainath Colony for more than six months.
THE CASE
In her complaint, she stated that she was married to one Harshkaran Singh, a resident of Lucknow in 2016. Her parents had given her valuables and cash as per their affordability during the engagement and marriage but her husband and other family members were demanding for more money as dowry. In 2019, her in-laws threw her luggage out of the house demanding Rs 50 lakh as dowry!
But even then, she tried to stay on at her hubby’s place despite all the humiliation and extreme pressure on her mind. She didn’t utter a word to her parents and they didn’t know a thing. Till in February 2020 when she was asked to leave the house. After that, she stayed at a relative’s place for a few days and later reached the city to stay with her parents here.
The woman further stated that her husband and two of his relatives reached the city and misbehaved with her again. The police have registered a case under relevant sections and started an investigation. No arrests have been made till the filing of the report.
FP VIEW
It is utterly disturbing to see married women suffer in this way. Especially, in the article where the husband and his family hike up their demands after the marriage and failing which the woman is “ostracized” and treated extremely shabbily. The woman’s suffering is like a double-edged sword as it bleeds and cuts her endlessly. She keeps her troubles to herself and doesn’t divulge it to her parents as they would not be able to withstand the shock and moreover, they have solemnized the wedding through their life’s earnings. And after that getting to know of her plight they would get the shock of their lives. In order to avoid all such “mishaps” in life, parents must educate their daughters and make them self-reliant. Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao… that is the only way out to reduce or eliminate the horror from their lives. Marriage of a self reliant girl should be the ONLY option if we want this menace to end.
Dowry facts
Under the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961, both giving and accepting dowry in India is an offence. The punishment for violating the law is 5 years imprisonment + Rs 15,000 fine or the value of the dowry given, whichever is more
The Indian Penal Code lays down the anti-dowry law with regards to dowry deaths, under Section 304B and cruelty or domestic violence for dowry demands, under Section 498A. The IPC makes the crime non-bailable, which means that the accused husband or family member cannot get a bail once arrested by the police
