Suicides by mothers of only girls belie ‘Beti Bachao’ drive in Haryana
Kiran (33), a mother of five girls — youngest being 13-month-old Ansh — hanged herself at her Raipur village residence in Haryana on February 14. Her family denies any pressure but admits that she had concerns over not bearing a male child.
Neelam (30) of Sahu village jumped into a canal along with her two minor daughters near Saniyana village on January 23. She, too, was reportedly distressed over not having a son. Neelam had four daughters.
Adding to the grim reality, the body of a newborn girl, apparently abandoned after birth, was discovered in a street at Jamalpur village of Bhiwani district on February 17. Another newborn girl’s body was found in a canal in Narwana town of Jind district a week ago.
Kiran’s family maintains that there is no discrimination against girls in their household. Her husband, Dharam Singh (40), a mechanic in the auto market in Hisar, insists that his wife had never expressed any bias against girls. However, another family member admits that the pressure of not bearing a son may have weighed on her mind, though he denies any societal pressure that may have driven her to suicide.
Dharam buttresses his case by claiming to have secured the future of four of his daughters through financial schemes such as the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana and LIC’s Kanyadan policy. The eldest, Aditi, is in eighth grade, while the second, Akshi (8), is in second. Aman (6) is studying in nursery, while Varsha (4) and Ansh (13 months) are yet to start their education.
“She loved and cared for her daughters deeply,” he adds.
These incidents point towards a deep malaise that still ails a state that boasts of running the Central flagship programme, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP), launched in Panipat nearly 10 years ago. While the initiative aims to address the skewed sex ratio and eliminate societal bias, such incidents suggest otherwise — societal pressure continues to take a toll on families with daughters.
The BBBP programme has yet to make a significant progress in improving the sex ratio at birth (SRB), says the state health department. The latest data indicates Haryana has recorded its lowest SRB since 2017, when it stood at 914 girls per 1,000 boys. After fluctuating over the years — 914 (2018), 923 (2019), 922 (2020), 914 (2021), 913 (2022), and 914 (2023) — the state registered an SRB of 910 by the end of 2024.
Women’s rights activist Jagmati Sangwan points out that the most vulnerable sections of society suffer due to economic hardship and social taboos. “No one can truly understand the mental distress of a woman raising five daughters amid such societal expectations. While government support schemes exist, many are unable to access these due to digitalisation barriers,” she remarks.
She is critical of the government over its failure to instil confidence in families with girl children, creating an environment of fear and vulnerability.
