Almost 50 per cent suicides by young girls in Latur is due to dowry

In January 2016, an 18-year-old girl from Latur district committed suicide so that her father would not have to arrange money for her dowry. In her suicide note, she asked ‘Why does anyone have to pay ’

She was a bright student who scored 80 per cent in her class 12 examinations.

Even as the International Women’s Week is being celebrated worldwide, the condition of women in Latur, a region in southern Marathwada region, is pitiful. Like the teenager who committed suicide, several young women kill themselves every year after falling prey to dowry harassment at the hands of their in-laws.

A similar issue was highlighted in a recently published study of KEM Hospital conducted in the region. It was stated that 48 per cent of the women commit suicide in the age group of 21-30 years in the region owing to dowry. Also, 19 per cent commit suicide owing to ‘ill-treatment by in-laws’. The department of forensic science, KEM hospital, studied 120 cases of women suicide deaths. “Our study also showed that those who committed suicide were educated. In 31 per cent of the cases, the women had got higher education,” said Dr Manoj Bhanusaheb Parchake, assistant professor of the department who was the main coordinator.

As per the data released by National Crime Record Bureau, Maharashtra records highest number of suicide of women by burning. In 2014, almost 3,000 women committed suicide by self-immolation.

“The data shows mostly those between 18-30 years die in it. In many cases, it has been proved later that it was not accident but murder when in-laws kill their daughter-in-law by pouring kerosene,” said Pooja Thakkur, a woman right advocate from Maharashtra Federation of Women.