Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 24 : Advocate Aabha Singh on Sunday described the alleged murder of Nikki Bhati for dowry in Greater Noida as "brutal" and strongly demanded that the victim's in-laws be arrested along with the husband.
She said that the entire nation remains shaken as the victim was set ablaze before her son and was being "ill-treated" for six months. The advocate argued that everyone involved in the incident, including the in-laws, should be arrested and shouldn't be granted bail.
"This is a brutal incident, how that woman was burned in front of her son. It has shaken the whole nation. Only the husband has been arrested; the in-laws are still underground. It is necessary that everyone is arrested, and they should not be given bail. It is being said that the victim had been ill-treated for six months. Where was society?" Advocate Singh told ANI.
Putting the onus on society to rectify such social evils, Singh cited the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data and said that 6,450 women are set ablaze for dowry in a year.
"NCRB data informs that 6,450 daughter-in-laws have been set ablaze in a year. If we can't stop such incidents despite strict legislation, it is a societal evil. Any person demanding dowry must be arrested," she added.
Singh further cautioned that papers are changed in such cases if the accused has police or political connections and thus, she said, there was a need to investigate the matter properly and produce a chargesheet in the court.
"In such cases, if they have a connection with the police or are politically powerful, the papers are changed. The police need to investigate this matter properly and produce the chargesheet in the court quickly," the advocate said.
Meanwhile, Vice Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Women's Commission, Aparna Yadav, said, "I assure severe action against this heinous crime where a woman was brutally attacked. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued strict directives for maximum punishment, respecting the victim's father's demand for the death penalty. The perpetrator has been caught, which is a positive step."
Earlier in the day, 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 per cent 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 their 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."
Meanwhile, the family of the deceased woman, Nikki Bhati, held a protest outside the Kasana Police station today, 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."
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 said that the strictest punishment should be given in the case.
"Strictest punishment should be given in this case. The parents should empower their daughters, keep them safe and raise their voice for their rights. This is not worth an apology. There are laws for crimes against women, but the government is not implementing them," she said.
This comes after the police arrested the mother-in-law of the deceased woman in connection with the alleged dowry death case. Moreover, Nikki's husband, Vipin Bhati, was shot in the leg during a police encounter and admitted to a hospital for treatment.
The man accused of setting his wife on fire, who later succumbed to her injuries, was today brought to a hospital in Greater Noida for treatment after being shot in the leg during an encounter with Uttar Pradesh police.
Vipin Bhati has been sent to a 14-day judicial custody.