Rising against injustice as one

The death of 34-year-old techie Atul Subhash by suicide a few months back caused a massive outrage in India, as a detailed suicide note and video left behind by him accused his estranged wife, her mother and brother of sustained harassment and torture.

- Harpreet Bajwa writes

It also sparked a conversation about the misuse of dowry law in the country and renewed calls for reforms in gender-based laws.

But not many know that the case of Subhash was not an isolated incident.

Meet 42-year-old Rohit Dogra, who heads the Chandigarh Chapter of the Save Indian Family Movement (SIFM), the largest men's rights organisation in India.

Founded in 2005, it has been pushing for reforms in the dowry legislation, flagging the misuse of gender-based laws.

Supported by 40 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the SIFM has also called for the setting up of a national commission for men and a relook at the alimony regulations and child custody policies.

Ask Dogra why he chose to be associated with the organisation, and pat comes his reply: "Back in 2010, my then in-laws filed a dowry complaint against me. A case was subsequently registered against my mother and me under Sections 498-A and 406 of the IPC."

He then fought a long legal battle to finally be acquitted in 2018.

But Dogra went a step further.

After being cleared of the charge, he got a case against his then wife and in-laws in Pathankot in 2020 for forgery and conspiracy.

The couple finally got divorced in 2022.