What society needs to learn from Vismaya case

A criminal transaction like dowry will not end just because it is legally prohibited. Such things will end only when the civic consciousness of each individual rises through education and awareness.

Although dowry and bribery are prohibited by law, they continue unabated. It is often difficult to find out about such crimes because of the secret arrangement between the two parties. The dowry issue becomes a hot topic only when a girl is tortured, commits suicide, or is killed in her husband's house even after handing over a huge sum as dowry.

Kiran Kumar, who was convicted in the Vismaya case, was a person holding a responsible government job. Kollam Additional Sessions Judge KN Sujith sentenced the accused to 10 years imprisonment for dowry harassment and domestic violence. The accused definitely deserves the punishment.

Vismaya, daughter of Nilamel native Thrivikraman Nair and Saritha, was found hanging in her husband's house on June 21, 2021. Kiran, who went into hiding immediately after taking Vismaya to hospital, later surrendered at the police station. All media outlets gave great importance to Vismaya's suicide and the torture that she underwent in her husband's house. As a result, many of the mental and physical abuses suffered by Vismaya soon came to light. WhatsApp messages and pictures about the physical abuse sent by Vismaya to her relative and classmate also surfaced. All this turned into evidence in court. There are lessons to be learned from this incident, at least in the future, for those facing a similar situation. The expense of marrying off a girl is very high these days. Vismaya's father had bought a good car for her daughter's husband. The audio of Kiran expressing his dissatisfaction about the car to Vismaya had surfaced earlier. He was also heard saying that he would have called off the marriage if he had known about the car in the first place. He may have had the foolish belief that he deserved a huge dowry because he had a government job with the potential to get bribes. People with such an attitude will not have a peaceful marriage even if they get a Benz car. Such people will not give much consideration to their wives.

Parents of girls should have the common sense to avoid such people at a time when they start demanding various things in the name of dowry. They should give more importance to the education and employment of their girls rather than marriage.

"Do not give your daughter in marriage to anyone who asks for dowry. Girls should be married off only after completing their education and getting a job," said a teary-eyed Thrivikraman Nair. Society must listen carefully to these words.