May 20, 2026 13:57 pm IST

Opinion | Twisha Sharma: Why India's Wealthiest Women Are Still Dying In 'Respectable' Marriages

Data show that women belonging to the lowest and highest wealth quintiles have equally been exposed to physical violence.

Deepanshu Mohan, Srisoniya Subramaniam Deepanshu Mohan Columnist Srisoniya Subramaniam Columnist

Deepanshu Mohan Columnist

Srisoniya Subramaniam Columnist

Two tragic deaths have captured mainstream media attention over the last week. The stories of 33-year-old MBA graduate, Twisha Sharma, in Bhopal, and 24-year-old Deepika Nagar in Greater Noida, have jarred the national conscience. What is more concerning is the structural reality these highlight.

The two cases reveal a profound statistical paradox. In India, despite rising female educational attainment, courtships, and affluent urban societies, the data concerning fatal spousal violence is on an increasing high. There is a massive chasm between population-level prevalence surveys and actual administrative crime records.

A Handful Of Registered Cases

Around 5,700 dowry deaths occur annually in India. As many as 31.9% of ever-married women in India experience physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence, as per NFHS-5. But only around 1.20 lakh cases are registered annually under "cruelty by husband or relatives".

Cross-referencing the population-level........

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