Tortured For Dowry, Mandeep Kaur Case Brings Back Focus On This Evil Practice

Mandeep Kaur, a 30-year-old Indian woman living in New York, died by suicide on August 3, after alleging her husband Ranjodhbeer Singh Sandhu repeatedly abused her for nearly eight years. Kaur posted a disturbing video detailing how she was repeatedly beaten up by her husband and mentally harassed by her in-laws for birthing two daughters instead of sons. She also alleged he was attempting to extort her family for more dowry money. Kaur spoke of the horrifying violence she had to endure at the hands of her husband, showing her bruises and blood clots on her body in the video.

Dowry: A Crime

Mandeep Kaur's case has once again brought into focus the insidious dowry system still prevalent in India, in which a payment, such as property or money, is paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage, despite it being made a punishable crime under the Dowry Prohibition Act (1961). Statistics of cases registered in the recent past show the evil practice continues to plague society and showed no signs of abatement.

According to pib.gov.in, the number of cases registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act in 2018, 2019, and 2020 was 12,826, 13,307, and 10,366, respectively. Cases registered under Dowry Deaths during the same years were 7,167, 7,141, and 6,966 respectively. While these numbers are for cases that were reported, whereas, in reality, the real numbers could be much higher as many cases go unreported.

Normalising Dowry

In many Indian families, dowry is often normalised and they openly follow it without realising the repercussions it can have in the long term. Dowry is often given under the pretext of “gifts” and families continue to practise the system. They justify it with statements like “It's for my daughter so that she lives happily” or “It's a gift for the newlyweds” while some also believe that it is a prevalent tradition.

Mandeep Kaur’s Story

Mandeep Kaur got married to Ranjodhbeer Singh Sandhu in 2015 in UP, India. The two shifted to the USA in 2018.

“Immediately after the marriage, he started torturing her. It got worse after she gave birth to a daughter, and much worse after another daughter,” Jaspal Singh, Mandeep Kaur’s father, was quoted assaying to NDTV.

As soon as the family was informed about the abuse, they tried talking to the groom’s family, but one day Kaur told her father to not interfare and then she never shared much.

Mandeep Kaur's family alleged that he demanded Rs 50 lakh raise the daughters, reported, indiatoday.in. “He told her he could barely repay the loan for his truck, so she should get the money for the daughters' expenses,” said her father.

In the viral video, Kaur mentioned that her husband and her in-laws are responsible for her death. She said, “They didn’t let me live. He has been beating me all along for the last 8 years.”

#JusticeForMandeep

The videos of Mandeep Kaur's suffering and the torture she endured are currently making the rounds on social media and have left people shaken. The Indian Consulate in New York has extended its support to the Kaur family. The New York Police Department has also started a probe. Twitter users are calling for #JusticeForMandeep.

Actress and singerHimanshi Khurana tweeted that, "Divorce is better than a dead daughter 💔💔 #JusticeforMandeep"

#justiceformandeep
Heartbreaking 😶😶😶😶😶 pic.twitter.com/oVt5oAhCzS

— khaira inder (@HumkoNhiPta) August 5, 2022

Divorce is better than a dead daughter 💔💔 #JusticeforMandeep

— Himanshi khurana (@realhimanshi) August 5, 2022

Kaur is survived by her two daughters, a four-year-old and a six-year-old, who are currently in the custody of Sandhu. Kaur’s family has raised concerns regarding the safety of her daughters. Kaur’s sister Kuldeep stated, “We should get their custody. I will raise them like a mother.”