"She Played All Over The World": Radhika Yadav's Family Counters "Restrictions" Charge

The family of Radhika Yadav, who was shot dead at her Gurugram home allegedly by her father, placed "no restrictions" on the 25-year-old as she travelled the world playing tennis, said two of her cousins, disputing the charge made by a woman who claims to be the tennis player's "best friend".

Himaanshika Singh Rajput, in an Instagram video, claimed that the state-level tennis player's father was "controlling" every aspect of the player's life.  

"Agar bandishe hoti, toh woh ghar se nahi nikal paati, bachho ko training nahi de paati, toh ye sarasar galat aur bebuniyad baatein hain (If there had been restrictions, she (Radhika) would not have been able to leave home, train children. So these things are totally wrong and baseless," a cousin of Radhika said.

Radhika's family often succumbed to "societal pressure", claimed Ms Rajput, adding that the tennis player's father was influenced by his acquaintances who often spoke ill of her daughter.

"My best friend Radhika was murdered by her own father. He shot her five times. Four bullets hit her. He'd made her life miserable for years with his controlling, constant criticism. In the end, he listened to so-called friends who were jealous of her success," Ms Rajout claims in the video.

Radhika Yadav was shot dead at the family's double-storey home in the upscale Sushant Lok area of Gurugram on Thursday. Father Deepak Yadav, 49, later confessed to killing his daughter and was arrested.

According to officials, the father confessed that he shot at Radhika because he was often taunted for living off her income. Police, in a statement, claimed that the tennis academy Radhika ran was the bone of contention between the father and the daughter.

"Radhika loved posting videos and reels, but eventually, that stopped. Her family would often pressure her, saying, 'What will people say?' They had a problem with almost everything and restricted Radhika from doing what she liked. She even had a curfew," Ms Rajput claimed.

The family disagrees strongly.

"Himanshika Rajput ji is giving wrong statements. If there were family restrictions, she would not have been able to even step out of her house to play tennis," said another cousin.

"There is hardly any country left in the world where she has not gone to play. Visa is required, tickets are also booked, it is not free. The family has also invested money, they have also worked hard. Radhika has also worked hard. Wrong statements are being made in the media that there were restrictions. There is nothing like that in the family," the cousin elaborated.

Radhika received four bullets, three in the back and one in the shoulder, according to the postmortem report by a board of three doctors, the police said.