Shahana, a postgraduate student at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, was found dead in her apartment, on December 4.  According to the police, the 28-year-old resident doctor in the surgery department died by suicide. 50 sovereigns of gold, properties worth Rs 50 lakhs and a car- this was what Dr Shahana’s family was willing to give as dowry to her senior from college, who had proposed marriage to her. However, with the prospective groom and family demanding more and then eventually walking out of the wedding, Shahana was heartbroken, according to her family.

The police meanwhile have started the probe and said that Shahana had been grappling with emotional turmoil, possibly from alleged dowry demands. Though a note, believed to be her suicide note, lamented that people were only bothered about money, it did not make any mention of the fallout over dowry. Shahana has not mentioned any names either in the note.

Shahana's relatives have alleged that the friend who proposed to marry her had demanded a substantial dowry, leading to emotional distress. Though her father had been working abroad, he had passed away recently, placing the family under some financial stress.

“He came to us with the proposal and said he liked my sister. She also was agreeable. When we met his father, it was clear that he was someone who wanted more dowry. We said we can give what a family like us could afford. The discussions went on many times and finally it was called off,” her brother told the media.

¨We had offered to give Rs 50 lakhs, 50 sovereigns of gold and a car. But they were not satisfied with this. Her father died a few months ago and the family had some financial issues,¨ one of her relatives told the media. The police are investigating the case and have not booked anyone yet for abetment.

In May 2022, the Kollam Additional Sessions Court had sentended Kiran Kumar, a dismissed state government employee, to 10 years in prison for torturing his wife Vismaya for dowry and driving her to die by suicide. 

When a woman is nothing if not a wife: Vismaya's death points to our shared guilt 

Vismaya death: Why a 22-year-old felt compelled to return to an abusive marriage

If you are a woman facing violence at home, call national domestic violence hotline Dhwani - 1800 102 7282