In a shocking incident of what has revealed the prevalence of dowry, which is illegal in India, a 24-year-old female engineer in Chennai has committed suicide after alleging that her husband and mother-in-law were harassing her asking for the dowry. 

According to the reports, 24-year-old Priyanka is an MBA graduate and she is the native of Chintadripet, Chennai. She got married to Naresh Kumar, who belongs to Kattankulathur, Chennai, in June 2019. Naresh Kumar was the software engineer and he was working in Hyderabad and after the marriage, the couple had relocated to Hyderabad and lived there. 

However, they landed in a fierce dispute within some weeks after their marriage. Following the dispute, Priyanka got separated from her husband in three months since the marriage and she returned to Chennai and she was living with her parents since then. The reports say that she was under mental distress and depression and on July 29, she committed suicide at her residence. 

Following the shocking development, the concerned police department was informed and a team headed by Chintadripet police inspector was probing the case of the engineer's suicide. During the investigation, they found Priyanka's suicide note in which she has stated that Naresh Kumar and his mother demanded 140 sovereigns of gold jewelry as dowry for the marriage. Her family had given 40 sovereigns of gold during the marriage and assured the groom's family with the rest of the dowry. 

However, Priyanka has stated that, Naresh Kumar and his mother had been torturing her asking the remaining 80 sovereigns. It later became a dispute following which she got separated from Naresh Kumar and living with her parents in Chennai. She reveals that 'I was deeply pained to see how my father pleads Naresh Kumar every day begging him to live together'.

She further wrote, 'I could not see my father shedding tears every day and I'm taking this extreme step after being harassed by Naresh Kumar and his mother on asking the rest of dowry'.  After the revelation of the cause of death, the police had booked Naresh Kumar and his mother under the grounds of dowry harassment and prohibition act. The police then apprehended Naresh Kumar and lodged him in the prison. 

According to the reports, the practice of the dowry system in India has been pronounced illegal in 1961. However, the system still prevails across India which has been one of the major issues that still leaving women more vulnerable to face violence and death. In 1983, India has passed a tough anti-dowry law (Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code).

The complaint under this law warrants the immediate arrest and imprisonment of the accused. This incident from Chennai has revealed the prevalence of dowry and patriarchal systems.