A meeting of Vice Chancellors of State universities convened by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan here on Friday recommended seeking an anti-dowry bond from parents at the time of admission of their children, stating that they would not give or receive dowry during the marriage of their wards.
While participating in a fast by Gandhian organisations against the practice of dowry on Wednesday, the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of the State universities, had suggested collecting a similar bond from the students before awarding them degrees and diplomas.
Mr. Khan suggested that those appointed in universities should also give an undertaking that they would not receive or accept dowry. “The parents will have to sign the anti-dowry bond at the time of admission. The degrees given by the universities are being used to demand more dowry. Universities have every right to ask the person who is going to receive a degree to sign a bond against dowry,” he said.
“And they [universities] are not asking to sign a bond for something extra legal. This [dowry] is a punishable crime. The universities would be asking to sign a bond to uphold the law and not to break it,” he added.
Mr. Khan said that the suggestions made by the Vice Chancellors on how to curb the dowry menace would be compiled after the next round of meeting scheduled in Thiruvananthapuram on July 21.
‘Paradoxical’
Recalling that it is paradoxical that the State has been witnessing dowry deaths despite having the highest literacy rate in the country, the Governor said that demanding dowry was repugnant not only to womanhood, but human dignity as well. “Whatever a father wants to do [for his daughter], it should be between the father and the daughter. It should have nothing to do with the bridegroom and his family. In fact, they should not even know [about it],” he said.
