Over the weekend, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar congratulated Harindra Kumar Singh, a retired school principal from the Bhojpur district, who returned dowry worth ₹4 lakh which he received for his young son.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Singh said, "Ours is a religious family and we discussed among ourselves to return the ₹4 lakh given to us in cash as dowry. We had not demanded dowry, but the bride's family gave it to us to cover wedding expenses."
Singh's elder son Rajeev told the newspaper that the bride's family members "had tears of happiness and relief in their eyes after we told them why we were returning the money.
On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi earlier this month, Kumar launched a statewide campaign to end the evil practices of dowry and child marriage in Bihar.
On Sunday, Kumar met with the 60-year-old school principal at his residence on Aney Marg in Patna. The chief minister reportedly greeted Singh with a hug and promised to attend his son's wedding ceremony.
The Telegraphreported that Singh will be the mascot of the Bihar government's anti-dowry campaign. "The step taken by Harindra to return the dowry will set an example for the society," said Kumar in a press release.
"We will ensure his active participation in the campaign against child marriage and dowry across the state," he said.
India Todayreported that Kumar met with and showed his appreciation to another couple from Bhojpur Prakash Kumar Sah and Puja Kumari, who were married without dowry.
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