Yes, they got married. All she wanted was his love, but all he had on his mind was her family’s money.

In another horrific incident, a girl’s life was ended because the dowry wasn’t enough for her husband and his family.

A week ago, i.e. on November 9, Sapna, a 25-year-old girl from Jaipur, got married to Sanjiv Kumar. The next day, they arrived in Naurangabad, Uttar Pradesh, where Sanjiv Kumar’s family resided.

Just four days later, Sapna was killed in cold-blood by her husband in the presence of his other family members.

JWB talked to Sapna’s father, Mr. Jagatnarayan, and her brother, Manjeet.

Jagatnarayan revealed that Sapna was coming home for the pag phera, on the day she was murdered.

“We got a call from my sister who lives in the same town that Sapna was shot by Santosh and was declared dead when they rushed her to the hospital.”

The distressed father couldn’t contain his anguish and said, “As per the Hindu traditions, we did everything we could. They asked for ten lacs and a car. We paid them seven lacs in cash. The boy purchased a fridge, TV, clothes, etc. worth I.5 lacs. And, during the pheras, too, we gave them over 1 lac in cash. They took my daughter’s life; there’s nothing left in my life.”

I asked, “Did you ever get suspicious of their intentions before the marriage?”

“They were not directly asking for the money. They always told us that they need the cash for preparations and to buy things for my daughter. According to the customs of Hindu marriage, it’s very common, and so, I never doubted their intentions,” he replied.

Sapna’s father also shared with JWB how he had already spent more than his capacity for his daughter’s marriage.

“The marriage was fixed early this year. For the Roka, we had given the boy fifty-one thousand rupees; and for the engagement also, we had provided cash and gifts worth Rs. 2-3 lacs. I spent all that I had to ensure my daughter’s happiness.”

Jagatnarayan also discussed how they had talked to Sapna on November 12^th, the day she was murdered.

“We had spoken to her on 12^th, and she assured us that she was happy. She had said, “I am happy here. Everything’s good. I’ll talk to all of you when I come back today.””

Sapna’s brother, Manjeet also shared with JWB that Sapna, whom they lovingly called, Niroz was an independent girl and worked as a beautician at a beauty salon in Jaipur.

“She was a bubbly and a chirpy girl. Niroz was our family’s charm. She made everyone laugh and happy around her,” confided Manjeet.

I enquired, “Did Sapna ever hint you of any wrong intentions?”

“If any of us knew of their cruel intentions, we would’ve canceled the wedding. Neither Sapna nor anyone else had a hint that the reason behind the marriage was money.”

“We still can’t believe they killed my sister. I am sure that Sanjiv and his family must have been pestering her to get the car and the money from us.”

It’s unfortunate that the media are trying to manipulate the details and case. One of the U.P. based newspapers reported that Sanjiv had kept a gun of his friend and Sapna took it in her hand. And, out of curiosity, she fired it and shot herself by mistake. Also, another daily in Jaipur, alleged that Sapna had been living with her bua who stays in Naurangabad before the marriage and there, she developed relations with Sanjiv.

Sapna’s father and her brother have rubbished such claims and are disheartened by the false allegations by the media. All these false reports indicate that in most cases, everyone tries to blame the victim, especially when it’s a woman.

The FIR has been lodged in U.P., and the matter is looked into seriously by the police. Sapna’s family wants justice and demands capital punishment for the accused. However, Sanjiv and the other accused family members have escaped and are on the run. And, the police have been unable to arrest them, until now.

 

 

But, the grim reality is that it’s not the first case where a woman’s life has been taken away in the name of money. Sapna was my age, and as a 25-year-old girl, I can imagine her thoughts, dreams and hopes for the new life with her husband. And, it’s heart-wrenching to think that all those dreams and hopes for bright future were shot dead just because of the money and the car.

The wedding season is on, and you’ll be attending lots of weddings. But, this time, just try and analyze that if we are actually attending a celebration and union of two people who have decided to spend their lives together, as husband and wife, or, the entire event is to showcase the power of money and its exchange between families.

It pains me to write this but the majority of people will still follow the “customs” of an Indian marriage, because a woman’s life is of lesser importance than a man’s ego, in our country.

And, yet, I write this in the hope that the people in our country will realize that you can never build a happy life for your daughter on the stacks of cash.

#SayNoToDowry