NEW DELHI: A harrowing case in Greater Noida has again brought the reality of dowry deaths into the spotlight. Nikki Bhati (28) was allegedly set ablaze by her husband over dowry demands.
The incident is not an aberration but part of a chilling trend that continues to claim thousands of lives every year. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data paints a grim picture: in 2022 alone, 6,516 dowry deaths were reported.
Though this represents a slight decline from 7,045 in 2020, the numbers remain stubbornly high. Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 2,142 dowry deaths in 2022, followed by Bihar with 1,057, Madhya Pradesh with 520, Rajasthan with 451, and West Bengal with 427.
States like Haryana, with 234 such deaths, and Odisha, with 263, add to the disturbing tally. Adjusted for population, UP reports 1.9 dowry deaths per lakh women, Bihar 1.8, Haryana 1.7, and MP 1.2.
The tragedy, however, is only the tip of an iceberg of gender violence. What is less visible, but no less disturbing, is the cruelty that women face in their marriages. In 2022, NCRB recorded a staggering 1,44,593 cases under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code—cruelty by husband or his relatives.
To put it in perspective, while dowry deaths claimed over 6,500 lives that year, cruelty cases were more than 20 times higher. Compare this again with the 250 cases of murder-rape or gang-rape in 2022.
In 2020, police recorded 1,12,292 cruelty cases, a figure that increased to 1,44,593 by 2022. Over the same period, dowry deaths remained steady between 6,500 and 7,000 annually, while murder-rapes stayed under 300.
The consistency of dowry deaths combined with the steep rise in cruelty cases shows that the problem is worsening. Despite legal reforms—ranging from the Dowry Prohibition Act to provisions under Section 304B IPC—the enforcement remains weak.
State-wise breakups reveal both scale and concentration. Beyond UP and Bihar, states like Jharkhand (214 deaths), MP (520), and Odisha (263) contribute heavily to the national burden. Smaller but populous states such as Assam (195 deaths) and Haryana (234) also reflect alarming rates, highlighting that the issue spans regions. By contrast, states like Kerala, with 12 reported cases, and Tamil Nadu, with 29, show that lower prevalence is possible but still far from eradication.
The Nikki Bhati case reminds us that the fight is against a system of everyday cruelty that makes such deaths possible.