Nikki Bhati's father, Bhikari Singh, has demanded the "harshest punishment" for his son-in-law, Vipin Bhati, and his family, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to intervene in the matter. Meanwhile, Bhikari Singh's own daughter-in-law has alleged that he never accepted her due to a dowry dispute and refused to back down even when the village panchayat tried to mediate.
It is Minakshi, the estranged wife of Nikki's brother Rohit Payla, who has come forward with shocking revelations about Bhikari Singh. The 31-year-old woman reportedly said that she married Rohit in 2016, after which Rohit was gifted a brand-new Maruti Suzuki.
However, the car was branded "inauspicious" by Nikki's and Rohit's parents, Minakshi was quoted as saying by NDTV. They sold the car and demanded that Minakshi's family give them a latest model Mahindra Scorpio SUV and cash. When her family found the demand unreasonable, Bhikari Singh and his wife banished Minakshi from their house and sent her back to her parents.
When Minakshi's family took the matter to the village panchayat, the panchayat ruled against the Singhs and asked them either to pay Minakshi's family Rs 35 lakh (the amount spent on their wedding) so that she could be remarried, or to accept her as their daughter-in-law, NDTV said. However, nothing materialised, and Bhikari Singh never accepted her as his daughter-in-law.
Nikki Bhati case
On August 21, Nikki (26) was allegedly beaten, doused with a flammable liquid, and set on fire by her husband, Vipin, and her in-laws at their Sirsa home. She succumbed to her injuries while being taken to a hospital in Delhi, police said.
Disturbing videos of Nikki's final moments, including one showing her engulfed in flames, reportedly filmed by her elder sister Kanchan, have been circulating on social media.
Vipin, his parents Satveer and Daya, and brother Rohit have been arrested in the case. Vipin was shot in the leg on Sunday while allegedly attempting to escape police custody.
The FIR against the Bhatis was filed at the Kasna police station on August 22 under sections 103(1) (murder), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 61(2) (attempt to commit offences punishable with life imprisonment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
