Over the decades, the socio-cultural landscape of Kerala has undergone a drastic transformation, turning the state into one of the most enlightened and elite societies, etching a proud place among other Indian states with a high sense of  social awareness and the unbelievable progress made in sectors like  literacy. But, occasionally, things go awry, as the much hyped, overly celebrated social awareness gets a drubbing,  leaving the pompous embarrassed, with questions levelled against the collective sense of social responsibility. 

The legally banned dowry system, prevailing in the society incognito, poses some serious threats to the progress made by the state in many areas, throwing disturbing incidents at regular intervals at the face of the society, so often soaked in blood and tears. After a while, once again,  the social  menace has come up for discussion as yet another young girl was brutally assaulted by her well educated husband, nearly getting her killed.  

As per Kerala police records, in the past five years, the state has witnessed around 35 dowry-related deaths and over 17,000 cases of cruelty by husbands or relatives, which is a shocker in such an educated state like Kerala. The latest case of the Paravur survivor sheds light on the dark side of marital abuse. 

Just six days into her marriage, the young survivor was subjected to physical assault and attempted murder at the hands of her husband, Rahul P. Gopal, who is currently absconding. The brutality of the assault, along with the toxic behaviour of the accused and his family, has sparked outrage across the state.

Despite being lauded as the most literate state, why are mostly young people involved in such brutal crimes? Is it the low conviction rate or the confidence that the crime won't be uncovered?

Advocate Sindhumol, a defence lawyer in family court, emphasises the gravity of the situation. “The conviction rate for dowry-related offences is very low. In not even 10–20% of cases do the accused get convicted,” she told Mathrubhumi English. “Proving the assault becomes very tough because of a lack of evidence. That is why I urge women to be strong and bold in such cases.”

Authorities have initiated a new investigation to speed up the arrest of the Pantheerankavu dowry case culprit. Leaders, including Minister Veena George and opposition leader V. D. Satheesan, have voiced support for the victims and called for justice.

Regrettably, this is not the only incident. Data from the National Crime Records Bureau paints a horrifying picture, with Kerala reporting the highest crime rate among states, including a staggering 36.3% of violent crimes.

However, the road to justice remains full of challenges. Despite stringent laws in place, including the Dowry Prohibition Act, Advocate Sindhumol highlights the need for women to take a firm stand against dowry demands and seek legal help. “Women should be alert and strong in their stance. In most cases, the accused demands dowry in a subtle or sugar-coated manner. It’s long overdue that we change this mindset,” she said.

In many cases, the victims endure years of abuse in silence, fearing societal pressure and norms. Advocate Sindhumol highlighted the need to empower survivors to seek help and take legal action against these perpetrators.

However, many harassment cases don't just sprout out of dowry; adultery, which was earlier struck out of the IPC, is also one of the issues. In 2018, the Supreme Court declared adultery arbitrary and unconstitutional.

Speaking about that, Advocate Sindhumol said, “While dowry remains a primary motive in 50% of cases, it is essential to recognize that other factors, such as adultery (earlier charged under IPC Section 497), also contribute to these highly increasing violence against women cases.” 

It is evident that incidents like the Pantheerankavu domestic abuse case often fade away and only resurface when another similar case grabs the headlines. What is crucial here is to recognize that prevention is indeed better than cure. The pressing need of the hour is to educate and create awareness among men about the detrimental impact of their insatiable desire for dowry. It is a collective responsibility, starting with parents to leaders taking a lead in enlightening the youth and creating a culture of understanding and respect, only with these steps can this social evil be eradicated from its very roots.

There are many cases where Kerala people have lost their dear daughters due to this brutal lure of the accused. Some of the cases that had sent chills are:

 
Vismaya Case:

A young woman, Vismaya, was found hanging in the bathroom of her husband's house in Kollam on June 21, 2021. Kiran Kumar, who was an assistant motor vehicle inspector, is currently facing jail time for the tragic death of his wife, Vismaya.

It was learned that Kiran Kumar used to mentally and physically assault Vismaya because he was not satisfied with the dowry received during their marriage. 

Following the legal battle, he was suspended from his position and charged with demanding dowry, physical assault, and abetment to suicide. He has been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and fined Rs 12.55 lakh.

Uthra's death sends shockwaves through Kerala, as the rare use of a snake as a murder weapon highlights the lengths to which the accused will go for financial gain. Suraj S. Kumar, her husband, is accused of planning her murder to inherit her dowry and life insurance policy. On May 7, 2020, Uthra was found dead due to a snake bite at her house in Anchal. The investigation was conducted through scientific methods, including a dummy trial.

It was learned that the accused made the King Cobra starve for about 11 days so that Uthra wouldn't get rescued by this attack. As per Uthra's father, he had gifted over 100 sovereigns of gold and a new car to Sooraj during the wedding, in addition to ₹10 lakhs in cash.

Sooraj, who was the primary accused in this case has been imprisoned for 17 years and has to serve an additional two years of life sentence apart from paying a penalty of five lakh rupees.

He is currently booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for murder, attempted murder, attempted permanent injury, and destruction of evidence in this case.

Archana Case:

Another horrific case of dowry unfolded on April 3, 2022. Archana was found dead inside the bathroom at her husband's residence. She committed suicide after facing abuse in the name of dowry.

Her parents allege that she faced harassment from her husband, Binu, and his family.

They also claimed that Binu had tortured her for that. Currently, he is behind bars for harassing and torturing his wife, demanding a huge dowry sum.
Suchitra Case:

Just at the age of 19, Suchitra's young life comes to an end due to the mental torture imposed by her in-laws over dowry demands. She was found hanging at her husband's residence on June 22, 2021. Not even a month into her married life with Vishnu, who is a soldier, she started facing mental pressure from her in-laws for the gold that she received as part of this marriage.

In this case, her in-laws, Uthaman and Sulochana, were arrested for the mental abuse that compelled Suchitra to commit suicide.