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UP Woman Murdered Over Dowry, Accused Held: Stop Paying Grooms To Marry Your Daughters!

A newly married woman was murdered by her husband and in-laws over dowry demands in the Surajpur police station area. Isn't it high time Indian families stopped paying the groom to marry their daughter?

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Kalyani Ganesan
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UP Woman Strangled To Death Over Dowry, Woman Rejects Groom For Dowry, Man Cancels Wedding Over Dowry
A newly married woman was murdered by her husband and in-laws over dowry demands in the Surajpur police station area. The accused were identified as Prince, 23, Nandkishore, 52, and Seema, 48, who resided in Biraundi village. The family had strangled the newly married woman to death with a cable wire.
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The deceased was identified as Anju, who was married to Prince on February 27 of this year. Prince is a second-year engineering student who doesn’t have a job. On Thursday, the couple had gone shopping at a mall and returned home around 10 pm. Around midnight, Anju’s in-laws called the police and informed them that Anju had died after suddenly vomiting blood.

When the SHO of Surajpur Police Station, Avdesh Pratap, arrived at their house, Anju’s body was found laying on the bed, bleeding from the nose and mouth. Strangulation marks on her neck made the police suspicious, and the body was sent for an autopsy. The post-mortem report revealed that Anju was strangled to death and also pointed out some antemortem injuries.

UP Woman Strangled To Death Over Dowry

According to the police, the accused weren't satisfied with the Swift car that Anju’s family had given them. They were demanding a Fortuner car and Rs 10 lakh in cash as dowry from Anju’s family. All three accused were arrested and have been sent to custody.

Preliminary investigation reports indicate that Prince suspected Anju of infidelity, which often caused arguments between them. Prince admitted to strangling Anju while his parents watched without intervening. On the night of the murder, Prince had seen Anju talking with someone on the phone late at night, and this led to a fight that ended in Anju’s murder.

The police have recovered the cable that was used to commit the murder. The Surajpur police station has registered cases against the accused under Indian Penal Code sections 498A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 304B (dowry death) and sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

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According to National Crime Records Bureau data, 35,493 dowry deaths happened in India. Uttar Pradesh ranked first with 11,874 cases in the five-year period. Why are numerous dowry deaths still happening despite the ban on dowry? Although dowry has been made illegal on paper, Indian society is still exchanging it in the name of "gifts," "tradition" "culture, and "family reputation".

A woman’s worth in her in-law's place is determined by the dowry that she brings, and the woman’s parents take pride in showcasing their economic status by giving a hefty dowry to their daughter. Unfortunately, the majority of society fails to understand that direct or indirect dowry demands during the wedding, under the guise of tradition, are just the beginning of never-ending demands.

The concept of dowry is so normalised in our society that it only becomes a problem when dowry-related crimes happen. By hook or crook, the woman’s family tries to keep meeting the dowry demands so as not to jeopardise their daughter’s matrimonial life. When all their resources cease and they stop giving, dowry-related crimes happen, and that’s when the women and their families seek legal help.

Why not just nip it in the bud by refusing to go ahead with marriage alliances that demand dowry? Isn't it high time Indian families stopped paying the groom to marry their daughter? Shouldn't we be ashamed to determine women’s worth by money?


Suggested Reading: 20 Women Die A Day: Dowry Deaths Still A Threatening Reality In India?


 

Dowry Deaths In India UP Woman Strangled To Death Over Dowry
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