20 women die every day in India due to dowry. NCRB data and Nikki Bhati’s case show how this age-old trap refuses to die.
Because apparently, in 2025, the hottest wedding trend is still… bride-burning. Seriously, are we even a functioning society if 20 women die every single day over refrigerators, cars, and bundles of cash disguised as “gifts”?
India, welcome back to the age-old patriarchy party. Dress code: silence. Entry fee: a daughter’s life.
The Grim Numbers We Pretend Not To See
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), nearly 20 women are killed daily over dowry demands. That’s not a typo. That’s not a “one-off”. That’s literally 7,000+ women every year. Imagine an entire small town wiped out annually — except it’s not an earthquake or a flood. It’s greed.
Take the recent Nikki Bhati case. A 26-year-old, set ablaze in Greater Noida, allegedly by her husband and in-laws, because the gold, car, and cash her family already gave in 2016 wasn’t enough. Later came the demand for ₹36 lakh and a luxury car. She resisted. She died.
Her father, while grieving, proudly mentioned he’d given his son-in-law a top-model SUV. If you’re wondering how deeply dowry is normalized — there’s your answer.
Why Is Dowry Still Alive in 2025?
Dowry has been illegal since 1961, but so has littering, and yet here we are. The practice survives because:
- Patriarchy’s Favorite Tool – It reinforces the idea that women are liabilities who must “bring something” to deserve marriage.
- Social Status Show-off – SUVs, gold, and luxury cars exchanged at weddings, with politicians clapping in the front row.
- Weak Law Enforcement – Section 498A of the IPC exists but is often diluted by claims that gifts were “voluntary.”
- Low Conviction Rates – Courts want medical reports, visible bruises, or proof of abuse, ignoring emotional torture.
- Family Complicity – Parents often send daughters back to abusive homes, worried more about log kya kahenge than safety.
A Horror Story That Keeps Repeating
- Sanju Bishnoi, a teacher from Rajasthan, set herself and her 3-year-old daughter on fire after relentless dowry harassment.
- A 23-year-old in Madhya Pradesh, married for just six months, landed in the hospital with burn injuries after her husband allegedly branded her with a heated knife.
- Between 2017 and 2022, NCRB records say 35,493 brides were killed over dowry. That’s nearly 20 deaths every single day.
Let that sink in. We call ourselves a “developing nation” while women are being bartered and butchered.
The Economics of Oppression
Dowry isn’t just about greed — it’s also economics. A study by Jeffrey Weaver (USC) and Gaurav Chiplunkar (UVA) examining 74,000 Indian marriages found 90% involved dowry between 1930–1999. Payments made between 1950 and 1999? About a quarter of a trillion dollars.
Translation: we’ve literally built a parallel economy on squeezing brides’ families dry.
Society Loves a Hypocrite
Dowry is condemned publicly but glorified privately. Attend a Delhi wedding, and you’ll see BMWs and gold bars exchanged like mithai boxes. Politicians, businessmen, and influencers all join the party.
Activist Yogita Bhayana said she once walked out of a wedding because of the shameless display of dowry. But most people clap, smile for Instagram, and move on.
Because what’s a little gender-based violence when there’s a Mercedes in the baraat?
Law vs. Reality
Section 498A of the IPC was meant to tackle dowry harassment. But misuse narratives dominate the headlines, while genuine victims are dismissed. Courts still prefer “visible injuries” over mental trauma.
Lawyer Seema Kushwaha points out that low conviction rates embolden abusers. “Gifts, not demands” is the loophole that keeps the system alive.
And every loophole is another woman’s life.
Why Parents Aren’t Innocent Either
We love portraying parents as victims too. But let’s be honest — many enable this system. Nikki Bhati’s parents reportedly knew about the harassment, yet kept sending her back. Why? Because society’s approval mattered more than their daughter’s life.
Silence is complicity. End of story.
Mental Health and Dowry
Dr. Shweta Sharma, a mental health expert, explains it bluntly: dowry is patriarchy with a price tag. Women, even with jobs, are still treated as dependents. Dowry becomes a way to keep male egos inflated and women controlled.
The result? Violence when control feels threatened. And women suffering in silence, because abuse that leaves no bruises rarely makes it to court.
Can Change Ever Come?
Change won’t come from government posters about “Beti Bachao.” We need:
- Strict Law Enforcement – Dowry demands should mean instant arrest, no “gifts vs demands” excuses.
- Awareness Campaigns – Not glossy billboards, but raw, real campaigns showing lives lost.
- Parent Accountability – Families must stop treating daughters like liabilities and start protecting them.
- Social Shaming – Celebrate simple weddings. Shame lavish dowry exchanges.
- Support Systems – Helplines, shelters, and counselling for women trapped in abusive marriages.
Until then, every wedding with SUVs in the dowry is just another funeral waiting to happen.
Dowry isn’t tradition. It’s extortion in wedding clothes.
This cannot be another headline we scroll past. Talk about it. Share it. Call it out at weddings. Support women who resist. And most importantly — refuse to be complicit.
👉 If this made you angry (it should), spread it. Share it before another Nikki Bhati becomes a statistic.
Suggested Related Post:
“From Farm to Fame: How ‘Kursi’ Became India’s New Harvest”
