India ad on road safety criticised for promoting dowry

An advertisement on Indian TV for road safety has come under sharp criticism for allegedly promoting dowry. 

The ad features Bollywood star Akshay Kumar and was tweeted by federal transport minister Nitin Gadkari. 

In the commercial, Kumar is scolding a father for sending away his newlywed daughter in a car that has just two airbags.

While some online have praised the aid for the safety message others say it promotes dowry by hinting that the car was given by the father.

“Paying and accepting dowry is a centuries-old tradition in South Asia where the bride’s parents gift cash, cars, clothes and jewellery to the groom’s family,” says the BBC. 

The practice is a punishable offence in India but it continues to thrive – leaving women vulnerable to domestic abuse and even death.