What is my safety?

New money and old mindsets clash amid claims dishonest wives are exploiting the freedom of men.

A few days back, I read about a Delhi software engineer and his parents getting arrested and being jailed for an offense that does not need any investigation. What are we talking about here? Its the INDIAN DOWRY LAW.

The real offense was a failed marriage but a complaint from his wife on dowry grounds has just turned the whole story Topsy-turvy.

And what do we have - a man who is accused of a crime he was never into. His name has been recorded in the police register. In effect, his future has been taken for a big ride.

Why are men being subject to such treatment? Why cant there be an investigation? Why cant they register a case against both parties concerned? When a family combines both man and woman, why is a dowry related case always against the man?

I just cant understand why the laws in this country seem to be one-sided. More than 80% of this country's tax-payers are men and the women get more benefits for paying tax? And then they talk about equality for women. They have seats reserved for women in the assembly, on buses and trains. So why can't they have seats reserved for men too? Till when will our society live like this?

Let me tell you something. Perhaps the situation was bad before - even with the middle class people. Our society had discriminated against women for centuries. Agreed. And now, it might still be bad with the people at the lowest levels but with the educated class, things are much much better. But, we see educated women misusing the law to their benefit because they know that there is a loophole in the legal system.

A lawyer argues - "Just look at conviction rates for rape in England which are also low but nobody says rape does not happen". Very True. I have no doubt about that. But our law also says that you can let 100 criminals escape but not let one innocent person behind bars. So why does this law work this way?

The police commissioner claims that only 2 percent of dowry cases are this way. So what? Are you trying to fix those?

I know that - our country is still male dominated. Ours is a place where a crime against a woman happens every 33 minutes and there is one "dowry death" every 104 minutes. Less than half of the women can read or write. And more than 10 million female fetuses have been aborted in the last 20 years.

Today, I wonder. This is one portion of an educated society that I am totally unaware of. Maybe there is more to come.