Mumbai: Controversy has erupted over the reason given in the sociology textbook for Class 12 in Maharashtra for the prevalence of the dowry problem in India — “ugliness” and “physical handicap of a girl”.

Education minister Vinod Tawde seemed to have made matters worse on Thursday when seeking to address the issue, terming it as a “possible attempt to highlight reality”. The remark appears in a chapter in the sociology textbook titled “Major Social Problems in India” of the state secondary and higher secondary education board. Along with other factors like religion, caste system, social prestige and compensation principle, the chapter cites “ugliness” as a reason for the grooms’ families to demand more dowry.

An excerpt from the textbook chapter reads as follows: “If a girl is ugly and handicapped, then it becomes very difficult for her to get married. To marry such girls, the bridegroom and his family demand more dowry. Parents of such girls become helpless and pay dowry as per the demands of the bridegroom as family. It leads to rise in the practice of dowry system”.

Education minister Vinod Tawde on Thursday said the state’s secondary and higher secondary education board would consider the objections. “I have discussed the issue with Board chairman Gangadhar Mamhane and given him some instructions. This is a three years old syllabus and education and politics should not be intermixed. The board may have incorporated the chapter to show the reality in the society. But if the media has taken objection over it, appropriate action will be taken on it,” he said.  

When asked about the passage, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education on Thursday said the matter will be looked into. Board chairman Gangadhar Mamhane said, “I will discuss the issue with the board of studies and then comment on it.”