A video featuring a man identified only as Rahul has sparked widespread criticism online after he openly justified demanding dowry and insisted he wanted to marry a woman from a wealthy family so he could secure financial support. The clip, which has gathered close to a lakh views, shows Rahul explaining to an interviewer why he expects a long list of dowry items — including a fridge, cooler, AC, bike and car.
Rahul says he believes he is entitled to dowry because his family paid dowry for his sister’s marriage. When asked by the interviewer whether this is how his parents raised him, he fumbles before saying his father wants him to marry a “good woman” from a financially weaker background. Rahul, however, prefers the opposite.
“We are from a middle‑class family, and I want my wife to be from a rich family so that I don’t have to suffer financially in future,” he says in the video. “If tomorrow I want to do business and ask her to get Rs 10 lakh or Rs 2 lakh from her father, she should be able to help me. If I marry a poor woman, how will she help me? My salary is only Rs 15,000.”
When questioned why he wants to marry if money is his primary motivation, Rahul responds, “I need someone to serve me and my family.”
"I want huge dowry in my marriage." "The girl should serve me and my family." Strange that people are laughing. He thinks he sounds cool flaunting his patriarchy. Why would a rich, educated and beautiful girl marry and serve a clown like you? Sick. pic.twitter.com/rkk27aEqP7— Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) February 9, 2026
Video sparks outrage online
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the clip, but it has triggered strong reactions on X, with many users saying Rahul’s comments reflect deep‑rooted patriarchal attitudes toward marriage, especially among Indian men.
The X user, who shared the video, said, "He thinks he sounds cool flaunting his patriarchy. Why would a rich, educated and beautiful girl marry and serve a clown like you? Sick."
“This pretty much sums up arranged marriages… no one cares who they marry as long as they get good dowry,” wrote one user, adding that such expectations undermine love and compassion in relationships.
Another user said Rahul’s views expose the mindset of those who benefit from patriarchal structures: “He is showing a mirror to the beneficiaries of patriarchy… Marry in your bracket? No, but they won’t.”
A third commented, “Ten years from now, he will keep wondering why he is unable to find a girl to marry him.”
Dowry-related deaths in India on the rise
Despite being outlawed for more than six decades, dowry‑related violence continues to claim thousands of lives in India each year. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), an average of 20 women die every day due to dowry‑related crimes.
In 2022 alone, 6,450 dowry deaths were reported across the country, in addition to 13,479 cases registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act. Between 2017 and 2022, India recorded 35,493 dowry deaths, averaging nearly 6,000 cases annually.
Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of dowry deaths in 2022, registering 2,138 cases—nearly one‑third of the national total. The widely discussed Nikki Bhati case also emerged from Greater Noida in the state. Bihar and Madhya Pradesh followed with 1,057 and 518 cases, respectively. Rajasthan and West Bengal were also among the states with high dowry‑related crime numbers.
Together, these five states accounted for nearly 70% of all dowry death cases reported in India in 2022.
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