- Nikki Bhati was assaulted and set ablaze by her husband and mother-in-law over dowry demands
- Kanchan Bhati will return to her marital home after families reached property transfer agreement
- Nikki’s family to withdraw case after financial aid and property rights for her children were secured
Almost a year after Greater Noida resident Nikki Bhati died as her sister and son watched her being assaulted and set ablaze by her husband and mother-in-law after repeated dowry demands escalated to a point of no return, her sister Kanchan Bhati will return to her marital home. Further, both families have reached an agreement regarding the transfer of property in the names of Nikki Bhati's children.
Nikki and Kanchan's parents and the Bhati family reached the agreement through panchayat mediation. The dispute dragged on for nearly nine months with police probing the case and later arresting Nikki's husband Vipin Bhati, his parents and elder brother. Kanchan, who also allegedly endured assault, was taken home by her parents.
Apart from Kanchan's return to her in-laws' house, the transfer of property was decided to safeguard Nikki's children's rights and ensure a better future for them. Financial assistance for the women's family was also decided.
Following an agreement of this settlement, it was decided that Nikki's family would withdraw the case against her in-laws by filing an affidavit in court.
While Nikki was married to Vipin, Kanchan was married to his brother Rohit. The sisters ran a beauty salon and posted content on social media to earn some income. Vipin was against her posting reels on Instagram, and this led to regular arguments at home. Vipin and his family had also been demanding more dowry despite Nikki's father gifting him a Scorpio SUV, a Royal Enfield bike, gold, and cash.
Her death on August 21 last year had come after months of failed mediation attempts between the couple by the panchayat. Every time the woman was assaulted, she would go home. The husband would promise before the panchayat to not hit her again, while she was asked not to post content on social media, a condition in keeping with the objection raised by her in-laws.
Shortly after her sister's death, Kanchan recalled, "We were being tortured, our in-laws would tell us they did not get this or that during the wedding. They asked us to get Rs 36 lakh as additional dowry from our home. I was also assaulted between 1.30 am and 4 am on Thursday. They told me, 'We have got dowry for one (sister), what about the other? You are better off dead. We will marry again'. I was hit several times and I was not in my senses the entire day."
"That same evening, they brutally assaulted my sister in front of me and the children. They then threw some liquid on her and set her ablaze in front of my eyes. I tried to save her but I could not. Someone took her to the hospital. I don't know who. I had fallen unconscious," she added.
Lacking remorse after his wife's death, Vipin tried to escape police custody by snatching a pistol from a cop and opening fire. He was shot in the leg. Later, he said Nikki "died on his own" and that he "did not do anything". He also said, "All couples fight".
Recently, a spate of alleged dowry deaths were reported, among them the deaths of Greater Noida resident Deepika Nagar and Bhopal-based Twisha Sharma. Nagar allegedly died after falling from the terrace of her in-laws's house, after months of harassment over dowry demands. Sharma was found hanging in her marital home in Bhopal, after her appeals to her parents to take her home went unheeded.
