BMW, gold sovereigns, & property: How hefty dowry demand claimed a young doctor's life in Kerala

Dowries have been banned in India since 1961. However, as per social norms, a girl’s family is still required to give the groom’s family money, clothing and gold jewellery. In a recent shocking case, a 26-year-old doctor in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram has died by suicide after her boyfriend allegedly called off their wedding because her family failed to meet dowry demands. State health minister Veena George has ordered a probe into the case, while the state Minority Commission has also initiated a case on its own based on media reports on the matter. Let’s take a look. Young doctor commits suicide over dowry The woman, Dr Shahana, was a postgraduate student at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College’s department of surgery. She reportedly lived with with her mother and two siblings. Her father passed away two years ago while working in the Gulf, as per NDTV. The 26-year-old was dating Dr EA Ruwais, a Kerala Medical Postgraduates Association (KMPGA) state committee member, and the two decided to get married. Jasim Nas, her brother, told Mathrubhumi that Ruwais visited their home with the marriage proposal. “In November, my mother and I visited their home and met his family. His father was adamant on dowry. I told them that we would give as much as we could, but they were not ready to negotiate,” he said. According to Dr Shahana’s family, Dr Ruwais’ family allegedly sought a dowry of 150 gold sovereigns, 15 acres of property, and a BMW car. Jasim said Ruwais didn’t stand by her and that “he wanted the dowry demanded by his parents.” Local media outlet Mathrubhumi reported that the groom’s family called off the wedding when the bride’s family stated they were unable to meet the demand. “We were open to the idea of a registry marriage, but Ruwais wanted the dowry demanded by his parents. He backed out,” he said, adding that these developments broke her sister emotionally and caused her to go into depression. She was supposed to join the night shift at the ICU on Monday, but she did not report. She didn’t answer when a colleague called. Upon arriving at the flat, her friends discovered that the door was locked from the inside. When the cops arrived, they broke the door to discover her lying unconscious. After being taken to the hospital, she was declared dead. According to the police, she committed suicide by overdosing an anaesthetic drug. A suicide note found at her apartment read, “Everyone wants money only,” reported TOI. Manorama reported the Thiruvanathapuram Medical College police has taken Ruwais into custody from his residence in Karunagappally. He has been charged with abetment to suicide and under sections of the Dowry Prohibition Act. He has also been removed by the organisation following the serious allegations. Health Ministry orders probe According to the health minister, a report on the claims of dowry demand has been asked from the state department of Women and Child Development. The state’s Minority Commission is investigating the situation as well. The district collector, the commissioner of the city police, and the director of medical education have been asked by panel chairperson AA Rasheed to come before the committee on 14 December and provide a report. P Sathidevi, the chairperson of the state women’s commission, visited Dr Shahana’s home to meet her family. If the young doctor committed suicide as a result of the mental agony brought on by the dowry demand, Sathidevi indicated that strong measures must be taken. Similar incident in Karnataka Four days ago on Saturday, a 23-year-old newly married woman allegedly hanged herself at her rented home in Singayyanapalya, close to KR Puram, as per another TOI report. According to the woman’s family, she was pressured for dowry by her husband and his family members. Anusha, a housewife, was married to 23-year-old Praveen, who was employed nearby at a petrol station. The pair were from nearby villages in the Malavalli region of Mandya. After dating for over a year, the pair decided to elope and were married shortly after. Anusha’s mother, who filed a dowry death complaint, told the police that on 18 October, her daughter had called and informed her that Praveen and his family were harassing her for money and property. Notably, Anusha’s parents had bought gold for her marriage and nominated her for 13 guntas of land. She claimed that Praveen was pressuring her to get them. Increasing dowry deaths in India Ninety percent of Indian marriages involve dowries, despite the fact that receiving and giving dowries has been banned for over sixty years, according to a study by Gaurav Chiplunkar of the University of Virginia and Jeffrey Weaver of the University of Southern California. The National Crime Records Bureau reports that 35,493 brides died because of dowry between 2017 and 2021. This meant, about 20 dowry deaths were reported every day in the country, with Uttar Pradesh recording the highest at six deaths daily. According to the latest NCRB report released on Monday, over 13,479 cases were registered in 2022 under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. At the same time, 6,450 dowry deaths were registered in 2022. “Legally it is banned, but it is a socially accepted practice,” CNN quoted Sandhya Pillai, a trustee of Sakhi Women’s Resource Centre in Kerala, as saying. “Nobody feels that it is not OK to give or take dowry, irrespective of the law.” A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669