Health Minister orders probe into dowry allegations against groom after Kerala doctor dies by suicide

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 7 : Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into dowry harassment allegations in connection with the death of a 26-year-old woman doctor in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Director of the Women and Child Development Department has been directed to submit an investigation report on the allegations of dowry harassment against a male doctor at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College in connection with this case.
The deceased, identified as Shahna, was a PG student in the surgery department of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
Police said Shahna was found dead at her rented apartment near the medical college on Tuesday morning.
Following her death, which is being alleged as suicide, the family of the deceased claimed that the accused doctor, whom Shahna was considering getting married to, demanded gold, land and a BMW car as dowry.
The male doctor allegedly backed out of the marriage proposal after Shahna's family couldn't fulfil his dowry demands due to financial constraints.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Kerala Women's Commission, Sathidevi, along with other members of the panel, visited Shahna's family earlier on Wednesday.
Sathidevi demanded an investigation into the matter, adding that the Commission will seek a report from the police on the action taken in the case.
"If it's established that the family of the prospective groom had demanded dowry, a case will be registered against them under the Prevention of Dowry Act," the state women's commission chief said.
The accused doctor was a representative of the Medical PG Doctors Association. However, he was relieved of all the responsibilities of the organisation in light of the charges against him, sources informed.