The father of Nikki Bhati, who was allegedly set ablaze by her husband and in-laws in Greater Noida over dowry demands, has refuted claims that her daughter's social media activity led to a rift in the family.
Nikki was allegedly set on fire on August 21 by her husband, Vipin Bhati, during a domestic altercation that the police have described as both “shocking” and “premeditated”. Four people, including Vipin, have been arrested in the case.
Neighbours claimed that the Bhati family was also locked in disputes over Nikki and her sister Kanchan's social media activity. According to them, the two sisters were active on Instagram and posted makeover reels that their husbands objected to.
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However, speaking to PTI news agency, Nikki's father, Bhikhari Singh Payla, refuted the claims about social media, saying that Vipin's mother herself had an Instagram account.
"Vipin's mother used Instagram too. Reels are not the reason for Nikki's killing," he told PTI.
{{/usCountry}}"Vipin's mother used Instagram too. Reels are not the reason for Nikki's killing," he told PTI.
{{/usCountry}}Payla also claimed that he invested his own money in the beauty parlour, which his daughters ran from their home. He also accused Vipin of being jobless.
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"I paid ₹1.5 lakh for it. My daughter was running the parlour and was using that money towards her son's education. Vipin had no job. Those who are raising questions against my daughter should tell what Vipin did. Did he do any job? Are there any salary slips?" Nikki's father said to PTI.
What investigators in the case found
As reported by HT, investigators familiar with the case details said that Nikki’s murder was the culmination of months of hostility over her wish to run a beauty parlour and her active presence on Instagram, where she regularly posted reels with her sister, Kanchan.
On the day of the incident, police said, Nikki again asked her husband to allow her to reopen the parlour she co-owned. Vipin refused, insisting that “women in the family are not allowed to run businesses or create social media content.”
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The quarrel escalated until, police allege, Vipin doused Nikki with a flammable liquid and set her ablaze in cold blood.
Nikki, a resident of Sirsa village in Kasna, suffered extensive burns and was rushed first to two private hospitals before being shifted to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, where she died. Her post-mortem confirmed death due to burn injuries.
According to police, Vipin confessed to the crime and chillingly told investigators that he had “no remorse.” He had previously vandalised Nikki’s parlour in February in what officers say was part of a pattern of violent opposition to her independence.