LUCKNOW: The sordid saga of dowry death of Nikki Bhati, which commenced in Greater Noida on August 21, seems to be taking twists and turns with each passing day. The latest is the accusation levelled by Meenakshi, the estranged wife of Nikki's brother Rohit Gurjar, claiming that Nikki's brother and father had tortured her for dowry post her wedding in 2016.
While interacting with media persons, Meenakshi, who was married to Rohit Gurjar in 2016, alleged that her father had already given a Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and 31 tola gold at the time of her marriage, but her in-laws demanded a Scorpio SUV.
Meenakshi claimed that she used to be harassed relentlessly by the Gurjars and both her sisters-in-law – Kanchan and Nikki—along with their parents used to beat her up. Meenakshi also accused her husband Rohit Gurjar of once firing a shot at her brother. She alleged that she was forced to undergo two abortions, said local sources.
Significantly, she allegedly came out in the defence of Nikki's husband Vipin and his family claiming that they were not like that at all as it was a very well-off family. She also claimed that her brother Deepak Bhati had lodged an FIR in 2024 in support of her claims.
However, the Greater Noida police denied it with ADCP Sudhir Kumar saying that if they could provide a case number, it could be cross checked with the records. "As of now, no such evidence has come to the fore," he said while talking to media persons.
Meanwhile, relatives of the accused, Vipin, demanded a fair probe into Meenakshi's allegations saying she was also the sister and daughter of someone and that she should also get justice.
Nikki, 28, was allegedly set on fire by Vipin and his family in front of her son and sister. Her six-year-old child told police that his father had poured something on his mother, slapped her, and then set her on fire with a lighter.
Vipin, his parents Satveer and Daya, and brother Rohit have been arrested. Vipin was shot in the leg on Sunday while allegedly trying to escape police custody.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has sought a time-bound probe, strict action against the accused, and security for Nikki's family and witnesses.
Meanwhile, Nikki's sister Kanchan's complaint claiming that the victim was set on fire by her husband Vipin after years of harassment and abuse over dowry demands, would be re-examined by the investigators due to emergence of some contradictory facts recently. As per police sources, the emergence of new videos makes other angles in the case believable and it was imperative to interrogate Kanchan again.
On Tuesday, Vipin's cousin Devendra had given a fresh twist to the episode by claiming that the prime accused Vipin and his father were at the shop when the incident occurred around 5. 45 pm. Devendra’s claims hold water as the new CCTV footage from the street purportedly showed Vipin standing outside the house at the time of incident.
As per Devendra's claims, he saw Vipin rushing towards house and returning soon to tell him about the incident. According to sources, Devendra claimed that he, along with Vipin’s father and mother, took Nikki to Fortis hospital, noting that the CCTV camera footage corroborated Vipin's presence at the shop moments earlier.
However, the question remains that why Vipin did not take Nikki to hospital if he was there at the time of incident and had no role in killing the victim. Moreover, in another video clip, believably shot by Kanchan, a woman's voice is heard asking Nikki: “What have you done?” The voice is being examined to verify if it is of Kanchan's.
Meanwhile, the sources claimed that according to the medico-legal form of Fortis hospital, where Nikki was taken initially, she suffered severe burns at home due to a cooking cylinder blast. Police authorities are likely to examine the doctor who attended the victim initially. However, the sources added that the hospital spokesman said the reference to cylinder blast was based on the information provided by the patient’s family.
