Mumbai: Contradicting concerns raised by women MLAs in the assembly on Monday about the prevalence of dowry deaths in Maharashtra, junior home minister Pankaj Bhoyar made the stunning claim that “99% of the marriages in our society are conducted without dowry”.He was responding to questions raised by MLA Jyoti Gaikwad who cited several cases of dowry harassment and suicides. She mentioned a case of a woman engineer dying by suicide after being harassed by her mother-in-law who was a sarpanch. However, Bhoyar said cases of dowry harassment and deaths had reduced in Maharashtra, but added that awareness needs to improve. He said 172 cases were lodged in 2021 and 534 arrests made, 180 cases and 515 arrests in 2022, 170 cases and 381 arrests in 2023, 139 cases and 234 arrests in 2024, and 138 cases and 313 arrests in 2025. —Priyanka Kakodkar
