The publishers of a college sociology textbook, which listed the merits of the dowry system, said that they have decided to withdraw the book from the market with immediate effect. The announcement came on Tuesday after a severe backlash on social media.
The publisher, ‘Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers Private Limited’, on Tuesday issued a statement over the content in the title, ‘Text-Book of Sociology for Nurses’, in which Page 122 of the book mentions merits of dowry. In its statement, the publisher has said we have taken immediate steps to withdraw the book from the market.
“We would like to inform you that we have taken immediate steps to withdraw the book from the market. We assure you that Jaypee is a responsible publisher and has been serving the medical community for more than 5 decades now. We take such matters with utmost seriousness and shall continue to strengthen internal processes to avoid such incidences in future,” the statement read.
Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi slammed the publishers of the book. In a tweet, she wrote, “TEXTBOOK SAYS DOWRY HELPS ‘UGLY GIRLS’. This kind of regressive mindset is there despite anti-dowry laws being there in the country.”
Smt.@priyankac19 writes letter to the Education Minister, Govt. of India raising concerns about the regressive content on the Dowry system in the book ‘Textbook of Sociology for Nurses’. pic.twitter.com/hFj3G2l2FN
— Office Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@Priyanka_Office) April 4, 2022
The post was initially shared by the Twitter handle @chhuti_is, after which many social media users also started sharing the post and criticised the textbook for promoting dowry. Here are some social media reacted:
There’s a legit textbook in India which lists down the “merits” of dowry (dahej).
This is sick.
“Ugly looking girls can be married off with attractive dowry with well or ugly looking boys.” pic.twitter.com/icGtCZHQUk
— Areeb Uddin (@Areebuddin14) April 4, 2022
ఇంత దిక్కుమాలిన చెత్తని ఈమధ్యలో చూడలేదు.. ‘merits of dowry – ugly girls can be married off,establishes new household,groom parents can use it for their daughter’ all this in a textbook😡
PC @chhuti_is pic.twitter.com/aCarqVU7nO— Dr.మహిష్మ kodidela (@drmahishmak) April 3, 2022
Nothing Can be more ugly Than this Book and its Matter. I haven’t came across such nonsense ever before and I strongly feel this is new way to institutionalize dowry. More Disgusting Merit is last pointer, how can you define women as ugly and beautiful. it’s Disgrace.. pic.twitter.com/BnizHO9Zls
— Zeeshan Khan (@xeeshan_KAS) April 4, 2022