Dowry, Then Cash And More Cash: Nikki Bhatti's Uncle On Why They Never said No

The family of Nikki Bhati -- burnt alive by her husband and mother-in-law at their home in Noida near Delhi -- say their hands were tied by a social system where the in-laws have more power over a married woman than her parents. And they gave in to the repeated demands for money from her in-laws because she insisted, and to keep the peace in her family, he said. 

The 26-year-old -- married at the age of 18 to a student with no income - was beaten regularly when she failed to bring in money from her parents. On Thursday, she was beaten and set on fire. She died before she could get medical help.

Read: 2 Jobless Brothers, Sisters Stuck In Marriage And Cycle Of Dowry Abuse

Asked why they gave in to the Bhati family's demands and whether they were partly responsible for her in-laws becoming progressively greedy, Nikki's uncle Rajkumar Singh told NDTV in an exclusive interview that they had "no idea that it would come to this". 

"You tell me -- how long can a father or brother be around? We even brought her home (In February). Not that we didn't. But when a married daughter's family, whom you know, have a relationship with, ask that she be sent back, how can you refuse?" he said.     

The family's demands, he indicated, were always channelled through Nikki, who wheedled, cajoled and even insisted.

"This has been going on for years, but we always wanted that her marriage to survive. People give their daughter in marriage with many gifts, even if they have to take loans. The idea is that the daughter be happy. But there are expenses and there was no income (in the husband's family). Then she would come and ask -- "Papa give me 50,000 rupees, 30,000 rupees, 20,000 rupees," he said. 

Read: Are You Aware Dowry Is Illegal? Nikki Bhati's Father's Chilling Response

Nikki's father, Bhikari Singh Payla, always gave her the money, he said, to keep the peace at his daughter's home. 

"I get it, one should not meet these demands," he said. "But when a daughter becomes adamant - 'Papa give me this' -- what can one do? One thinks -- if a bit of money brings peace to someone's house, give it. And you know fathers are always open-handed where their daughters are concerned". 

The key problem in the Bhati family, he claimed, was that there was no income. The two brothers - Vipin and Rohit Bhati -- to whom Nikki and her sister Kanchan were married, were both unemployed. But that did not bring down their aspirations. 

Given a Scorpio SUV, cash and gold during the wedding, they eventually demanded a Mercedes or Rs 36 lakh in cash. It was Nikki's inability to get it from her family that eventually led to her death on Thursday. 

Asked why the family gave its daughters in marriage to unemployed men, Mr Singh said, "When the wedding took place, people were studying -- high school, Inter-College, someone in BA. So no one knows what they would do later. But they make promises, peddle dreams, promise to keep our daughter happy. But when such challenges come up -- like one becomes an alcoholic, what can one do? No amount of persuasion works. Our daughter was upset". 

Read: "Keeps Saying They Burnt My Mother": Dowry Victim's Father On Grandson

Nikki's murder was witnessed by her sister Kanchan, who made several videos. It was also seen by Nikki's 6-year-old son who has been extremely disturbed since. 

The Bhatti brothers Vipin and Rohit and their parents Daya and Satyavir have been arrested.