NEW DELHI: The father of Nikki Bhati, who died after allegedly being set ablaze by her husband and in-laws in Greater Noida, has demanded that the house where she was killed be demolished. Bhikhari Singh Payla the accused family of relentlessly harassing his daughter for dowry and even obstructing her efforts to run a beauty parlour. He said he had given her Rs 1.5 lakh to set it up but the in-laws “did not even let her put up a signboard”.“We are satisfied with the administration. They have worked well for us. We should similarly get justice in the Court. Mahesh Sharma (BJP MP) had come to visit us today. He assured us that we would get justice. I request CM Yogi Adityanath for a bulldozer action on their (accused family) house. I lost my daughter. She won’t come back, but such monsters should be destroyed,” he told ANI.Payla alleged that Nikki’s in-laws subjected her to repeated abuse and dowry demands. “Her mother-in-law poured kerosene while her husband set her on fire. They kept asking for dowry; now their demands have been met. I just married my daughter as per tradition. Their dowry demands have been met now that my daughter has died. They demanded a car and tortured my daughter for that,” he said.The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested all four accused named in the case. Nikki’s husband, Vipin Bhati, who is accused of setting her on fire after years of abuse, was shot in the leg by police during an attempted escape and is now in judicial custody. His mother Daya, father Satveer and brother Rohit have also been detained.The national commission for women (NCW) condemned the killing, calling it a “grave concern”. Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said, “Daughters are not our property that we would do whatever we feel like with them… Those malpractices have taken up a new form now; this is a matter of grave concern.” She confirmed that the NCW has spoken to the police and Nikki’s grieving family.Nikki was married into the Bhati family in 2016 and her relatives alleged she faced years of escalating demands, from vehicles and gold to Rs 36 lakh in cash. Disturbing footage recorded before her death showed her being dragged by her hair and later engulfed in flames. She succumbed to her injuries while being taken to a Delhi hospital.
