Nikki’s in-laws land in police net

Nikki Bhati had left home six months ago vowing never to return but she reneged on her word after her husband Vipin pledged before the village community that he would never hit his wife again.

The promise, made in full view of Sirsa village panchayat in Greater Noida, stood shattered this Thursday when Vipin, after an altercation with Nikki, set her ablaze with mother Daya’s help, causing her to die in an act of brutal, cold-blooded murder.

While Vipin was taken into custody immediately after the crime, the rest of the accused - Nikki’s in-laws Daya and Satyavir and brother-in-law Rohit, married to Nikki’s elder sister Kanchan, were arrested on Monday.

Back in Nikki’s maternal home, the atmosphere was one of shock and trauma. Her father Bhikari Singh Bhati demanded strict action against the accused, stating, “There should be an encounter. This is Baba’s (Yogi Adityanath’s) Government. Bulldozers should be sent to their homes. If this doesn’t happen, we will sit on a hunger strike.”

Bhikari Singh Bhati also spoke of his terrorised grandson who saw Nikki being set on fire by his father. “My grandson will forever carry the grim deadly memory of that night. He can’t stop crying,” Bhati says.

Nikki’s relatives speak of how the parlour work of the two sisters and reels they posted on the social media to promote their business were a constant source of tension with their husbands.

Stick with two unemployed partners, Nikki and Kanchan, say their friends and family, were only working to make ends meet. They say Nikki had left her in-laws’ home six months ago and returned to parents in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, after an assault by Vipin. Following this, a panchayat meeting was called, where Vipin apologised and promised that he would never hit his wife again. Nikki went back to stay with him, hoping it was over. Only, it was not.

Nikki and Kanchan ran a salon but Vipin and his family did not like this, says Nikki’s uncle.

He adds that having an Instagram account, posting reels is very common these days. “Everyone does it, but those who have a poor mindset see everything in a poor light. Vipin is a criminal. Instagram and all is an excuse. Basically, these two brothers wanted their money. They (Nikki and Kanchan) kept the money for their expenses and their children’s future and this led to fights,” he said.

In 2016, Nikki and her elder sister Kanchan (29) were married into the same household in Greater Noida’s Sirsa. Bhikari Singh alleged neither Vipin nor Rohit ever worked for a living.

“After marriage, they kept asking for money —sometimes saying, give us your Mercedes, sometimes your Scorpio. Vipin had no work, so I helped my daughter open a beauty parlour. But even then, he started stealing money from the parlour,” he said after Nikki was killed over Rs 36 lakh dowry demand.

On Thursday, the argument snowballed into fatal assault and Vipin with his mother Daya set Nikki on fire. She burned to death before her seven-year-old son and sister Kanchan.

Kanchan, who witnessed the heinous murder of her sister, filed a police complaint and an FIR was registered. All accused are currently under arrest.