Bihar groom demands dowry, threatens to call off wedding; watch viral video

Several laws and constitutional provisions are centred in India on safeguarding the rights of women and the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 is one such law. Both asking for and giving dowry are punishable offence in the country. Despite the existence of these laws, the custom of dowry continues to haunt girls and their families.

A recent incident from Bihar is an example of such an evil practice in which a groom threatened to call off the wedding at the last moment over dowry. In a viral video, the groom could be heard saying that he would not tie knots if his demands are not met. The undated video is from Chappalpur village in Bihar.

The groom, who is a son of a teacher and a government servant himself, can be heard threatening the bride’s family to take back his wedding party without marrying the woman. When countered by the person capturing the incident, the groom asked “Who says dowry is not practised”.

The bride can be heard saying that most of the demands have been met by her family and only Rs 1 lakh cash is left. However, the groom says in another video that he wants everything right now.

The person behind the video warns the groom, but the man replies, “They (bride’s family) should have found someone who belonged to their status if this was going to happen."

The videos sparked an online debate, with Twitter users pointing out that while dowry may be a serious offence on paper, it is still in practice.

A Twitter user said that dowry is used when the bride is illiterate and is a liability for in-laws.

Another wrote that centuries-old evil practice is still in society.

A Twitter user demanded stringent action against the groom and his father.

What do you think of the dowry incident?

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