
‘Radhika Yadav Played Across The World': Family Rejects Friend's ‘Restrictions' Allegation
Radhika Yadav's friend claimed on Instagram that she was "controlled" by her father, alleging that he had made her life "miserable".
Radhika Yadav's family has refuted the deceased tennis player's friend's claims that she felt trapped by 'restrictions" at home, stating that the 25-year-old travelled the entire world to play the sport, which showcased that there were no restraints on her.
The family said that Himaanshika Singh, who claimed to be Radhika's 'best friend" in her Instagram videos, was making 'wrong statements' in the media about the family, underlining that the family members had also 'worked hard" along with the player.
In a series of videos posted on Instagram, Himaanshika claimed that Radhika's father was 'controlling" her life and imposed restrictions on her.
ALSO READ | 'Open And Shut': Gurugram Police End Radhika Yadav Murder Case, Won't Probe Friend's Videos
'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," the friend claimed.
One of Radhika's cousins responded to the claims.
'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," NDTV quoted the cousin as saying.
The friend also claimed that Radhika's family succumbed to 'societal pressure", alleging that her father made her life 'miserable".
'My best friend Radhika was killed by her own father. He shot her five times, and four of the bullets hit her. He had made her life miserable for years by always trying to control her and constantly criticising her. In the end, he believed his friends who were jealous of her success," she claimed in the video.
Deepak Yadav, the player's father, allegedly shot him dead on July 10, when she was preparing breakfast in the kitchen on her mother's birthday. He later confessed to the crime.
Radhika's friend further claimed that she felt trapped by family 'restrictions" and had lastly given up, agreeing to live life as per the family's wishes.
The family further accused Himaanshika of giving 'wrong statements" about restrictions in the family.
'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," NDTV quoted another cousin as saying.
The family member claimed that there was hardly any country left in the world where Radhika had not gone to play tennis.
'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 said.
view comments
First Published:
July 14, 2025, 08:26 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Print
20 minutes ago
- The Print
Radhika Yadav's murder proves the khap panchayat never left—it just moved back into the family
Deepak Yadav surrendered almost immediately. After killing Radhika, he apparently called his brother, labelling the murder 'kanya vadh' (filicide). He stated to the police that he was 'furious over his daughter running her own tennis academy' and had murdered her over a dispute regarding its closure. Yadav went on to suggest that the police make a watertight case against him based on his statement, and the subsequent FIR ought to ensure that he is given the death sentence. Indian women might be raised to fear the outdoors, but we all instinctively know that the home is often the deadliest place we can be. Radhika Yadav, if she were still alive, might have agreed. Instead, the 25-year-old athlete and tennis coach, who ran her own tennis academy, was shot five times by her father Deepak Yadav at their home in a posh Gurugram sector. Four of those found their mark — three in her back, one in her shoulder. The khap panchayat that murdered Radhika Yadav consisted of one man: her father. No village elders were present, no consensus was called for, and no formal diktat was issued. For the crime of being too independent , too financially secure, the sentence was delivered while she prepared breakfast. After snuffing out a young life, Yadav has moved on to his final performance: martyrdom. He now wants to die for a 'righteous' murder that is already being applauded by his peers, who taunted him for living off Radhika's income. While this is being spun around as 'pashchatap', can a premeditated act really lead to genuine remorse? According to reports, Yadav attempted to control every aspect of Radhika's life — her tennis career, who she spoke to, and how much time she spent outside the house. What he does have instead of remorse, is the satisfaction of restoring honour to his family and community. It helps us all to keep up the fiction of Gurgaon as a 'modern' city, redolent with tech-powered possibilities — and not an extension of the hinterland's most rotten, regressive ideas, dressed up in shiny chrome cladding. Because some problems, like the radical idea of women's agency, cannot be solved by a 2×2 matrix. The khaps The shock ringing through Gurgaon right now is also the realisation of how little separates DLF Camellias from Kaithal. Even Yadav's hatred toward his daughter isn't original. It sits atop the steaming pile of other murders once presided over by Haryana's khap panchayats, the kangaroo courts that terrorised North India through the mid-2000s. These unelected bodies — comprising village elders whose purpose was to uphold social values and intervene in village disputes — issued death sentences for couples who dared marry outside caste or gotra boundaries. The most brutal cases became household names. In 2007, Manoj and Babli, 23 and 19 years old, respectively, eloped from Kaithal and got married in Chandigarh despite familial and community disapproval. They were both from the same gotra, or clan, which treats such unions as borderline incest because of the concept of 'bhaichara'. The couple sought and were granted police protection when threats from the khap panchayat and their own families began. But the state failed them spectacularly. Despite being in the presence of the police, they were abducted from a public bus and murdered by khap-affiliated relatives. Their decomposing bodies were recovered from a canal, nine days after, revealing signs of torture. The case was a sign — and a warning — that law enforcement was no match for traditional authority. Throughout the mid-2000s, khap panchayats ran amok. In 2004, they forced a young couple in Jhajjar district to dissolve their marriage and abort their unborn child. In 2007, in Katlaheri village of Karnal district, they forcibly separated a 10-day-old infant from its parents, deeming the marriage 'illegal'. In 2010, Monika and Rinku, both Jat teenagers, were killed and hanged outside their houses in Nimriwali village, as a reminder of the consequences of loving outside the bounds set by the community — all at the behest of a khap panchayat. In 2012, they sought death for couples who elope and marry, and even suggested that 16-year-olds should be married to curb rape. By that same year, PILs were being filed against these bodies, and a Supreme Court panel recommended reigning in khap panchayats to prevent honour killings. But as recently as 2019, Naresh Tikait, Balyan khap leader and the president of Bharatiya Kisan Union, said that love marriages were unacceptable. 'We raise girls, educate them and invest Rs 20-30 lakh on their upbringing and then they marry by their own choice. How can we accept that? We cannot allow that. If parents take all the pains to educate their girls then they also have a right over their marriages too,' he said. Also read: Radhika Yadav murder isn't about one rogue father. Women earning for family is still taboo A mindset After the landmark Manoj-Babli verdict sentenced five perpetrators to death in 2010, we declared victory against the wrong enemy. The khaps seemed to have retreated. Their public pronouncements began to grow muted. Between 2020 and 2021, several of these bodies participated in the farmers' protest against the three contentious farm laws. So we confused the silencing of formal bodies with the defeat of their ideology. But we had misunderstood the power structure entirely. The village elders were never the source, but simply the most visible manifestation of values that have always resided at the heart of every patriarchal household. Khap panchayats learned brutality from Indian families, not the other way around. The real infrastructure of 'honour killings' didn't need to convene under a banyan tree, when a daughter's independence is discussed within the home as a family problem. Khap panchayats merely gave this mindset a platform. When that platform was dismantled, the mindset simply returned to the family unit, where it had been thriving all along. Have you ever read a story of a mother who killed her 'uncontrollable' son for bringing dishonour to the family through independence? Has any man ever been shot for refusing an arranged marriage? 'Honour' is just a fancy term that families invented to cage female ambition. Radhika Yadav died because her success threatened the fundamental order of patriarchy that demands women remain perpetual minors, forever seeking permission for decisions about their own lives. The father, the family, the khap panchayat that killed her have always ruled in favour of one belief — that the only honourable daughter is a dead one. Karanjeet Kaur is a journalist, former editor of Arré, and a partner at TWO Design. She tweets @Kaju_Katri. Views are personal. (Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Bollywood comes to life? Real-life Drishyam murder: Husband killed, buried under tiles near Mumbai
In a shocking incident reminiscent of the Bollywood film Drishyam, a woman from near Mumbai has been charged with killing her husband and hiding his body beneath the floor tiles of their home. The gruesome crime has left the local community stunned and has garnered attention for its striking resemblance to the movie's storyline. Here's a breakdown of what has emerged so far. Real-life Drishyam murder: Husband buried under tiles As per NDTV, 35-year-old Vijay Chavan had been untraceable for the past 15 days. He lived with his 28-year-old wife, Komal Chavan, in Gadgapada, Nalasopara East, located around 70 km from Mumbai. On Monday, his brothers visited his home during their search. They noticed that some of the floor tiles looked different in colour. When they removed the odd tiles, they found a vest buried beneath and noticed a foul smell, prompting them to contact the police immediately. Nalasopara, Maharashtra: In a shocking incident in Dhaniv Baug, Nalasopara, a woman allegedly murdered her husband with the help of her lover and buried the body under the house floor, later covering it with tiles to avoid suspicion. The crime came to light nearly 15 days later… Police later discovered Vijay's body hidden under the tiles. They now suspect that he was murdered by his wife Komal, who has been missing for two days along with a neighbour named Monu. The two are allegedly in a romantic relationship and are the primary suspects in the case. More details about the case are awaited. About Drishyam, the movie that inspired the horrific murder Drishyam is a well-known Indian thriller praised for its suspenseful plot and emotional storyline. First released in Malayalam in 2013, it was later remade in multiple languages, including a Hindi version in 2015. The film tells the story of Vijay Salgaonkar, a cable TV operator in Goa who lives with his wife and two daughters. Their lives are turned upside down when his daughter accidentally kills a boy who was threatening her with a private video. The boy turns out to be the son of a senior police officer. To protect his family, Vijay uses his intelligence and love for films to plan an elaborate cover-up, faking a timeline and hiding the body to mislead the police. Ajay Devgn plays Vijay in the Hindi adaptation.


NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
"Thought They Were My Fans": Singer-Rapper Rahul Fazilpuria On Gun Attack To NDTV
New Delhi: Haryanvi singer-rapper Rahul Fazilpuria, who narrowly escaped unharmed after assailants fired at him in Gurugram earlier this month, said that he initially thought the attackers were his fans. Fazilpuria, whose real name is Rahul Yadav, told NDTV that he was saved since he reversed his car quickly when he heard gunshots. "The attack was so sudden. At first, I thought they were my fans. Then I heard two rounds of firing...I was saved as I reversed my car quickly," he said. Two shots were fired at the singer's car at Badshahpur Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) in Gurugram on the night of July 14. He was driving through the village in Sector 71 when the attack took place. The bullet reportedly hit the pole installed in the middle of the divider, as bullet marks are seen on it. A total of two shots were fired at Fazilpuria - and he managed to escape both with no injuries. Two days after the incident, a man named Sunil Sardhania - said to be Fazilpuria's close friend - claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media post. He named Deepak Nandal, a music producer, and Indrajit Yadav, an alleged member of the Himanshu Bhau gang, as those involved. According to Sardhania, Fazilpuria had taken Rs 5 crore from Nandal and was not returning it. He threatened to kill one of Fazilpuria's associates every month, for 10 months, if he fails to repay the loan. However, Fazilpuria thinks that the post is "fake". "Those who have taken responsibility for the attack on social Sardhania and Deepak Nandal are my friends. They have worked with me. I think someone has made a fake responsibility post in their name. I don't know the third person named in the post - Indrajit Yadav," Fazilpuria told NDTV. Haryana Police sources identified Sunil Sardhania as a resident of Rohtak with several criminal cases registered against him. In 2024, he had fled abroad on a fake passport. His family members are being interrogated by the police over the Fazilpuria attack. The second accused, Deepak Nandal, is a music producer and rapper in the Haryanvi music industry. He had made many hit songs with Fazilpuria and rapper Badshah such as 'Haryana Roadways', '2 Money Girls', and 'Kar Gayi Chul'. The police have also arrested a suspect named Vishal, linked to the firing incident. 'Got threats' The singer-rapper, speaking to NDTV, said that he received many threats after the murder of Sidhu Moosewala - who was shot dead while driving in Punjab's Mansa district on May 29, 2022. "I got the threats because I had said Sidhu Moosewala's murder was wrong. Earlier, I received threats in the name of Lawrence Bishnoi. No one was arrested. They gave me security for some time, but removed it three months ago. Even when I went to the police station after the recent firing incident, I got a threatening call. I am in danger," Fazilpuria said. According to the singer, threatening artists and singers has become a trend. "This is what is happening these days, someone goes abroad, gets a SIM card there and sends two shooters, this has become a trend," he said. Fazilpuria, a friend of YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT Season 2 winner Elvish Yadav, was in the news last year when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned him in a money laundering case. He had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Gurugram constituency, representing the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). He, however, did not win and was defeated by BJP's Mukesh Sharma - who secured a victory by a margin of 1.22 lakh votes.