Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 25 : The Uttar Pradesh police on Monday made the fourth arrest in the Greater Noida dowry murder case by arresting the father-in-law of the victim.
This comes after the police arrested the sister in law, mother-in-law and husband of the victim.
Vipin Bhati, who is accused of murdering his wife, was shot in the leg by the police on Sunday and was later admitted to the hospital. He was sent to a 14-day judicial custody.
Police said that the husband of the deceased was accused of setting his wife on fire, who later succumbed to her injuries. He was also accused of frequently assaulting Nikki.
However, Bhati denied the allegations.
Speaking to ANI, he said, "I did not kill her. She died on her own."
When asked about the accusations of physical assault, he replied, "Husband and wife often have fights; it is very common..."
The victim's father told ANI that she had 70 per cent burns and was pronounced dead at the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.
"I reached there as soon as my elder daughter called me..The doctor told me she is 70% burnt..We took her to Safdarjung Hospital. The doctor told me to take her back because she would not be able to survive. He (her husband) should be hanged. They got married in 2016. He started harassing her a few days after marriage...They asked for Rs. 35 lakhs... She started her own work, and her husband began asking for the money she earned. I demand that the Court and CM give him the death penalty..."
Earlier on Sunday, the family of the deceased woman, Nikki Bhati, held a protest outside the Kasana Police station, demanding justice.
The father of the deceased woman alleged that her in-laws killed her over their demand for dowry.
"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," the father said.
He also accused the husband of domestic violence.
"That person is neither man nor human; he is a butcher. We once brought her home because of all this domestic violence, but because of societal pressure, they came and took her back on the promise of not repeating this. It continued. Now they have got what they wanted," he said.
Reacting to the incident, Samajwadi Party women's wing national president Juhi Singh demanded that the strictest punishment be given in the case.
"Strictest punishment should be given in this case... The parents should empower their daughters, keep them safe and raise voice for their rights... This is not worth an apology... There are laws for crimes against women, but the government is not implementing them..." Singh said.