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ISLAMABAD: India recorded 5,737 dowry deaths in 2024, equivalent to nearly one woman dying every 90 minutes, according to the National Crime Records Bureau&rsquo;s (NCRB) Crime in India 2024 report. In NCRB&#39;s report released earlier this month, the deaths are registered under the category of &quot;dowry deaths&quot; under Section 80 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, previously Section 304B of the Indian Penal Code, which covers cases where women die under unnatural circumstances within seven years of marriage following dowry-related harassment. The report lands as two high-profile cases have reignited national debate on abuse related to dowry.&nbsp; In Greater Noida, 24-year-old Deepika Nagar died on 18 May after falling from the rooftop of her matrimonial home; her post-mortem revealed a brain hematoma, ruptured organs, and multiple contusions, India&rsquo;s The Hindu reported.&nbsp; According to the newspaper, her family alleges she was killed over demands for a Toyota Fortuner and Rs4.5&ndash;5 million in cash.&nbsp; In Bhopal, actor-model Twisha Sharma, 33, was found hanging at her matrimonial home on 12 May.&nbsp; While her in-laws insist she suffered from drug addiction, her family says she was harassed for dowry, leading to her death, the New Indian Express reported. Indian media outlets citing the NCRB report said the figures translate to more than 15 dowry-related deaths every day across the country. While the numbers have declined compared to previous years, the scale of violence against women linked to dowry practices remains alarming, NDTV said. Dowry deathsAccording to the NCRB report, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of dowry deaths in 2024 with 2,038 cases, accounting for more than one-third of the national total.&nbsp; Bihar followed with 1,078 cases, while Madhya Pradesh reported 450 deaths. Rajasthan and West Bengal recorded 386 and 337 cases, respectively. The data also documented cases classified as &quot;dowry murders,&quot; involving direct fatal violence linked to dowry disputes. NDTV, citing the report, said West Bengal recorded 163 such cases in 2024, followed by Odisha with 161.&nbsp; Rajasthan reported 75 cases, while Bihar and Uttar Pradesh recorded 66 and 58, respectively. According to NCRB figures, more than 120,000 cases were also registered in 2024 under the category of &quot;cruelty by husband or relatives.&quot; Uttar Pradesh recorded over 21,000 such cases, while West Bengal reported nearly 20,000. Indian media reports citing NCRB data said more than 12,000 dowry-related cases were registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 nationwide in 2024, while thousands of cases remained pending investigation or trial.

File: This picture shows an Indian bride with her face covered with flower garlands during a mass wedding ceremony in Ahmedabad, India. (AFP)

India

The data has recorded 5,737 deaths linked to dowry-related violence last year, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for the highest number of cases. However, thousands of cases remain pending investigation or trial.

One Indian woman died every 90 minutes in dowry cases in 2024: Report 

MOSCOW: The death toll from a Ukrainian strike on a college in a Russian-occupied town in eastern Ukraine has risen to 10, local Moscow-backed authorities said on Saturday. A total of 38 people were wounded, and 11 teenage students were missing, said Leonid Pasechnik, governor of the occupied Lugansk region. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the drone barrage that hit the college dormitory in Starobilsk overnight on Thursday to Friday and ordered the army to prepare a response. &quot;Rescuers worked through the night clearing the rubble in Starobelsk. Unfortunately, hopes were not fulfilled -- the death toll has risen to 10,&quot; Pasechnik wrote on Telegram, using a Russian spelling for the town. He said search and rescue operations were continuing. Ukraine denied targeting civilians and said it had hit a Russian drone unit stationed in the Starobilsk area. Russia&#39;s foreign ministry said on Friday that those responsible would face &quot;inevitable and severe punishment&quot;. Ukraine regularly targets Russian-controlled areas of the country with drones, saying the strikes are retaliation for Russian attacks. Starobilsk is located about 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the front line in east Ukraine. Russian forces captured the town in 2022, shortly after launching their full-scale offensive. The Lugansk region is almost entirely occupied by Russia, which claims it as its own.

Local residents stand next to debris and a damaged residential building following an air attack in Dnipro on May 21, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Mykola SYNELNYKOV / AFP)

Europe

A total of 38 people are wounded, with 11 teenage students missing, said Leonid Pasechnik, governor of the occupied Lugansk region; Russian President Vladimir Putin had condemned the drone barrage that hit the college dormitory in Starobilsk overnight on Thursday to Friday and ordered the army to prepare a response.

10 dead in Ukrainian strike on college in Russian-occupied town: Governor

BEIJING: An explosion on Saturday at a biotech factory in northern China has left at least eight people dead, AFP reported, quoting Chinese state media. State news agency Xinhua had previously reported that seven people died and one person was missing after the Saturday morning explosion at the Jiapeng biotech company in Shanxi province, citing local authorities. Later, Xinhua said eight were dead, adding that the firm&#39;s legal representative had been taken into custody. The company is located in Shanyin County, about 400 kilometres west of Beijing. Xinhua said cleanup operations were ongoing, noting that reporters observed dark yellow smoke emanating from the explosion site. Authorities have established a team to investigate the cause of the blast, the report added. Industrial accidents are common in China due to lax safety standards. In late January, an explosion at a steel factory in the neighbouring province of Inner Mongolia left at least nine people dead.

In this file photo, taken on November 21, 2025, the local fire and rescue detachment is working to extinguish the fire in Anyang, Central China's Henan Province. (CCTV News/File)

China

The cause is under investigation, amid ongoing concerns over industrial accidents and safety standards. 

Articles tagged with "Deaths"

One Indian woman died every 90 minutes in dowry cases in 2024: Report

10 dead in Ukrainian strike on college in Russian-occupied town: Governor

North China factory explosion kills 8: State media

One Indian woman died every 90 minutes in dowry cases in 2024: Report