- By Shubham Bajpai
- Tue, 19 May 2026 07:14 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The deaths of three young women in three different Indian cities have once again exposed the dark reality of dowry. Deepika Nagar from Greater Noida, Twisha Sharma from Bhopal, and Aishwarya from Karnataka, three families, three places, but the pain and end are the same.
These aren't just three unfortunate incidents, but rather a story of the deeply ingrained toxicity of an entire society where dowry is still considered acceptable. Nearly 10 million marriages take place in the country every year, and in nearly 90 per cent of these cases, dowry is given or taken in some form.
Once believed to be a sign of illiteracy and poverty, in the recent past, dowry cases have been reported in well-employed, educated and financially strong families.
How did Noida's Deepika die?
A 27-year-old married woman died after falling from the fourth floor on Sunday night. Severe injuries were found all over her body. Her father has alleged that her daughter was brutally beaten and thrown from the rooftop after her dowry demands were not met, while her in-laws claim she committed suicide by jumping. Police have registered a dowry death case and arrested the woman's husband and father-in-law.
ALSO READ: Noida Dowry Death: Autopsy Reveals Deepika Nagar Suffered 'Ruptured Spleen, Bone-Deep Wounds'
Sanjay Nagar, a Delhi Jal Board employee, told the police in his complaint that on December 11, 2024, his daughter Deepika was married to Hrithik, son of Manoj, a resident of Jalpura village.
The father said that on Sunday morning, Deepika called and cried, saying that her father-in-law, mother-in-law, husband, sister-in-law, and others were beating her and demanding a car and money as dowry. That afternoon, he went with his brother-in-law, Babu Pradhan, and explained the situation to his father-in-law, Manoj, mother-in-law, and son-in-law, Hrithik. They returned home around 7 p.m.
At around 12:30 a.m., Manoj called to report that Deepika had fallen down the stairs and was seriously injured. She later died at the hospital.
The autopsy report revealed contusions on the right thigh, above the right iliac crest, a bone-deep wound, ruptured spleen, among other injuries.
The death mystery of Twisha Sharma of Bhopal
33-year-old Twisha Sharma was found hanging at her marital home in Baghmugaliya Extension, Bhopal, on the intervening night of May 11 and 12. Her in-laws claimed it was a suicide. On the night of May 15, police filed a dowry death case against Twisha's husband and mother-in-law.
The post-mortem report confirms injuries to her head, ears, and hands, inflicted before death.
The report also reveals that all the injuries were inflicted by a solid object. This report points to the suspicious death as a homicide.
Twisha's parents alleged that after marriage, her husband and mother-in-law harassed her for dowry. However, her mother-in-law, a retired judge, leveled serious allegations against her. The application claimed that she was addicted to drugs and would behave abnormally when she was unable to get drugs.
The family has alleged a cover-up attempt and demanded a second autopsy at AIIMS Delhi.
Twisha had worked as an actress and model in Tamil films. She met Bhopal-based lawyer Samarth Singh through a dating app. The two subsequently married on December 9, 2025. WhatsApp messages sent by Twisha to her mother and friends before her death have also surfaced, wherein she revealed her ordeal and how she felt "trapped".
Why did Aishwarya from Karnataka commit suicide?
In Kampli town, Ballari district, Karnataka, a 24-year-old woman named Aishwarya committed suicide after facing dowry harassment and mental torture. According to police, Aishwarya had a love marriage with a veterinarian named Pradeep Kumar.
Pradeep works in the Animal Husbandry Department. The family alleges that after marriage, her husband, Pradeep Kumar and mother-in-law constantly harassed her with demands for dowry.
The husband refused to support his wife in the face of the abuse inflicted by his mother. Ultimately, the distressed woman returned to her parents' home and committed suicide by hanging herself. She mentioned the abuse in a suicide note.
A case has been registered at the Kampli police station, and the husband, Pradeep Kumar, and his mother have been arrested. This incident comes just days after the recent suicide case of Twisha Sharma in Noida, which shocked the entire nation.