'Dowry murder' case: Nikki Bhati's family meets Noida police commissioner Laxmi Singh, seeks fast probe, strictest action

NOIDA: The family of Nikki Bhati, who died after being allegedly set on fire at her in-laws' house in Sirsa, has called for the strictest punishment for those responsible. On Friday, Nikki's family members met Noida police commissioner Laxmi Singh, and appealed for swift and stringent action against the accused.Nikki's father, Bhikhari Singh Payala, spoke to reporters after the meeting. "We requested the commissioner that the culprits should get the harshest punishment. She assured us that no one will be spared and strict action will be taken in keeping with the investigation," he said.

Nikki's brother, Atul Payala, added that the police chief had assured them the chargesheet would be filed soon and the case would be heard in a fast-track court.The case has drawn the attention of state authorities as well. On Wednesday, Meenakshi Bharala, a member of the state women's commission, visited Nikki's family at their house in Roopwas village of Dadri. She later met commissioner Singh, also pressing for a speedy and thorough investigation into the case.The sequence of events began on Aug 21, when Nikki suffered fatal burn injuries at their Sirsa home. According to a complaint filed by her sister Kanchan, Nikki was allegedly assaulted and tortured for dowry before being set on fire.

So far, Nikki's husband Vipin, father-in-law Satveer, brother-in-law Rohit, and mother-in-law Daya have been arrested.Police, however, are faced with multiple angles to investigate. Two new videos have emerged, one purportedly showing Vipin standing outside their house at the time of the incident and another, believed to have been shot by Kanchan herself, in which a woman's voice is heard asking Nikki, "What have you done (yeh kya kar liya)?"There have been allegations that Nikki's husband would torture her after she decided to continue with her beauty parlour business and post videos on Instagram.

The two had been married for almost a decade. On Aug 21, Kanchan alleged that her husband thrashed her when he found her recording a video for social media. Police officials said more people were being questioned. "We are questioning more people and collecting evidence. The probe will be concluded soon," a senior investigating officer said.