India loses 16 women every day to dowry violence

In just the last few days, four young women allegedly lost their lives to dowry harassment. In Greater Noida, Deepika Nagar died under suspicious circumstances, with her family accusing her in-laws of dowry harassment. In Bhopal, the family of Twisha Sharma also alleged harassment linked to dowry after her death.

And in Madhya Pradesh, the family of 21-year-old newlywed Palak Rajak, who died by suicide within a year of marriage, said she was subjected to persistent abuse despite her parents giving a car and 10 tolas of gold at the wedding.

These are not isolated incidents. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, India recorded 5,737 dowry deaths in 2024. While this was lower than the 7,466 deaths reported in 2017, the numbers remained disturbing. On average, that’s 16 women killed every day.

UP tops the list

Uttar Pradesh accounted for more than a third of all dowry deaths in India at 2,038 cases in 2024. Bihar followed with 1,078 deaths. Together, the two states accounted for over half of India’s total dowry deaths. Other states with high numbers included Madhya Pradesh (450), Rajasthan (386), and West Bengal (337). Uttarakhand recorded the highest dowry crime rate in 2024 at 9.8 cases per lakh women. Bihar followed at 6.1, Karnataka at 5.9, and Jharkhand at 5.6.

Registered cases under the Dowry Prohibition Act have remained high over the years. India recorded 15,489 dowry cases in 2023, the highest in recent years. The number dropped to 12,343 in 2024, but that still means the country saw a dowry-related case roughly every half hour.