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The Print
3 days 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)
NDTV
13-07-2025
- Climate
- NDTV
"I Am Leaving India": Gurugram Man's Emotional Outburst Over Flooded Roads
A Gurugram man has announced his plan to leave India after getting frustrated by the dilapidated and shabby infrastructure in the Millennium City. The man took to Reddit to share his plight in the aftermath of the Monsoon downpour, which has caused waterlogging and clogged roads all around the city. "I don't understand how people in Gurgaon accept the condition of roads during the monsoon season. Yesterday night, I saw at least 5 imported cars stranded in the water logging, while I crossed them in my car," wrote the OP in the r/gurgaon subreddit. "This is crazy. I sense that rich people/industrialists can influence, put pressure and press pain points the govt. Yet there is no action taken by either of them. How are they accepting these personal losses," he added. "I have decided to move out of India, coz I don't want to live my life like this. See people struggle and not get the basic amenities, welfare and service. This may be an incidental rant, but I am pissed now." In one of the comments, the OP added that he was considering moving to Australia to escape Gurugram. "Guys, I already have Australia on my radar. What's ur opinion on Australia??" he wrote. The user's emotional outburst has now gone viral, inviting a similar visceral reaction from the city-dwellers. "Honestly I really can't believe condition of this so called major Tech hub," said one user while another added: "I thought Gurugram was superior to cities like Noida, Ghaziabad. But they both were far better than this glorified sh*t hub." A third commented: "All this is because of the collective resignation of the wealthiest citizens, who could demand change, and the rest of us, who tolerate it." I am leaving India by u/e9txinfinite in gurgaon This is not the first instance when the residents of the city have expressed their pain. Earlier this week, a woman living near the posh Golf Course Road, known for luxury high-rises like DLF Camellias, where homes are sold for upwards of Rs 100 crore, took to Instagram to share a video of her home, submerged in water. She shared a video of her stepping out of the car outside the residence, submerged knee-deep in water. The video then shifts indoors, where various items such as furniture and shoes can be seen floating. "What happened last night has left me completely shattered. As most of you know, the weather yesterday was brutal, it poured relentlessly for nearly 4 hours. I live near Golf Course Road, the area known for its upscale high-rises like DLF Camellias, where homes are sold for Rs 100 crore. But even here, this is the harsh reality of Gurugram," the woman captioned her post.
Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
‘Even near Rs 100-crore homes on Golf Course Road, this is Gurgaon's reality: Residents slam civic apathy after rain
Furniture floating in murky water, a car half-submerged on a flooded street — these were visuals from a video that a Gurgaon woman shared online after water entered her home due to the relentless rain that battered the city for nearly four hours on Wednesday night. 'I live near Golf Course Road — the area known for its upscale high-rises like DLF Camellias, where homes are sold for Rs 100 crore. But even here, this is the harsh reality of Gurugram,' she wrote in a post on Instagram. She also wrote, '… what truly broke me was what I found inside my home… Everything that was on the floor — furniture, belongings — was floating, soaked, and destroyed. I have no words left. Just pain. Just disbelief. This is not just water damage. It's emotional damage. And it's real.' The woman's plight resonates with several residents of Gurgaon, who battle civic apathy each monsoon. And this year was no different. Wednesday's downpour — 103 mm of rain in just 90 minutes — laid bare the city's fragile civic infrastructure yet again after heavy rain caused widespread waterlogging, traffic chaos, and property damage. The Indian Express visited three localities in the city to speak to residents and take stock of the situation. Sector 55 On Friday afternoon, students and parents carefully navigated large, water-filled potholes on a service road outside Gurugram Public School. Just two days earlier, this stretch — now caked in silt — resembled a murky swimming pool, with cars half-submerged. Ram Avtar waited outside for his child. He had come on a two-wheeler from Wazirabad in Sector 52. His car got stuck on a service lane in the area Wednesday night. 'I had to leave my car at the entrance of the sector at night, then I called a crane to tow it the next morning,' he said. 'The government has not put in place a system yet (to tackle such issues), which they should have already done a long time ago… I doubt they will do so in the future, too,' Avtar added. Anil Sharma, a resident of Sushant Lok 2 in Sector 55, fumed at the lack of amenities. 'Golf Course Road is a globally recognised icon. But we pay taxes like England and get amenities like this… Where does all that tax money go if the corporation can't even provide basic services?' added Sharma, an IB teacher at Pathways World School. On Wednesday, his Swift car got stuck for hours while he was returning from the Golf Course Road to Sector 55. 'I had to pay more than Rs 10,000 to service my car,' he exclaimed. Yogendra, who runs a real estate office nearby, said it's a yearly problem. 'What can we do? What option is left? We have complained a lot of times, the corporation clicked photos and promised to fix the issue — and nothing happened,' he said. Vinita Sinha, President of the Sector 55 Residents' Welfare Association, said the whole city is floating after just a day of heavy rain. 'Waterlogging is a chronic problem here. The roads are all dug up, and after the rain, the loose soil spills onto the road and makes them unserviceable.' She added that no proper desilting of drains takes place here. When contacted, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram's PRO, S S Rohila, said the executive engineer concerned will oversee deployment of staff to alleviate the issue effectively and speedily, and get the drains cleaned and desilted. Rajiv Chowk underpass Around 10 km away, the Rajiv Chowk underpass — which connects to the BSNL complex and Mini Secretariat — was completely waterlogged on Friday, with water reaching up to the signboards. Large barricades had been placed to block entry. Hawkers nearby said the underpass has remained shut since the onset of the monsoon. 'It's been closed since Wednesday — it happens every year. Authorities just shut it down in advance now,' said one vendor. Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority PRO, Neha Sharma, said the stretch comes under the NHAI, and the pedestrian underpass is generally closed during monsoon. 'Last year too, the Deputy Commissioner had ordered closure of all non-motorised transport underpasses ahead of the rain as such structures are not equipped to handle stormwater since they lack specialised drains,' she said. Sector 14, Zone 5 On Friday, residents were still trying to remove water that had flooded their homes. In one ground-floor house, mattresses were moved aside, chairs stacked on tables, and the washing machine was running nonstop. 'I'm washing clothes I never even got to wear. They were stored in a cabinet under the bed. We didn't have time to move them when the water rushed in,' said Shakti Tuteja, a resident who has since shifted to the first floor. Residents claimed this is the oldest residential society, and asked how the corporation could forget about them. 'Authorities highlight and solve problems on Golf Course Road, but what about us?' asked Kalyan Singh Sharma, a resident who is also a social worker. Houses, mostly two- to three-storey ones, are built around a small park — which gets submerged after a few spells of rain. The water has now receded from the park — leaving behind garbage, silt and mud and a foul smell hanging in the air. The garden has five rainwater harvesting systems, with a sixth currently under construction. 'Why did they start the work right before the monsoon? It's now a breeding ground for mosquitoes,' said one resident. According to residents, the existing systems have limited capacity due to silt buildup, causing rainwater to collect in the park. From there, it gushes through the railings and floods the low-lying lane where their houses are located. 'I tied a bedsheet from one end of the gate to the other, hoping it would filter out the silt if water came in — but it still ended up in our washrooms,' said Dogra Kumar, showing a photo on his phone of silt settled in his hall after the water receded. Cockroaches and frogs, he added, also entered the house.
NDTV
11-07-2025
- Climate
- NDTV
"I Have No Words": Gurugram Woman Shows Flooded Home Near DLF Camellias In Viral Video
A Gurugram woman has shared her plight on social media as her house was submerged in water after relentless downpour lashed the Millennium City. The woman claimed her home was in ruins despite being located near the posh Golf Course Road, known for luxury high-rises like DLF Camellias, where homes are sold for upwards of Rs 100 crore. She shared a video of her stepping out of the car outside the residence, submerged knee-deep in water. it then shifts indoors where varios items such as furniture and shoes can be seen floating. "What happened last night has left me completely shattered. As most of you know, the weather yesterday was brutal, it poured relentlessly for nearly 4 hours. I live near Golf Course Road, the area known for its upscale high-rises like DLF Camellias, where homes are sold for Rs 100 crore. But even here, this is the harsh reality of Gurugram," the woman captioned her post. "When I returned from work, I found my car half-submerged in water. But what truly broke me was what I found inside my home. This is my home. A home I had carefully and lovingly set up after I moved in. Everything that was on the floor, furniture, belongings -- was floating, soaked, and destroyed," she added, recounting the ordeal. "I have no words left. Just pain. Just disbelief. This is not just water damage. It's emotional damage. And it's real." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sanchi Arora (@sanchiarora.30) Also Read | Man Reveals Secret To Rs 4.7 Crore Fortune By 45 With Simple Life And SIPs Social media reacts As of the last update, the viral video had garnered over 2.1 million views and hundreds of comments with the majority sympathising with her and calling out the authorities for poor drainage facilities across Delhi NCR. "India needs a civil disobedience movement and mass protests against the corrupt government and bureaucracy. High time!" said one user while another added: "Even Indus Valley had better drainage system." A third commented: "If anyone has 10 crore or above, they should go to foreign nation. Pay taxes and live a life with dignity, security infrastructure." A fourth said: "This is what happens when you are desperate to develop real estate and mint money by selling plots and farm lands but don't care about city planning and basic human needs."
Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal buys Rs 52.3 crore apartment in Gurgaon's ultra-luxury DLF Camellias; joins elite startup neighbourhood
Deepinder Goyal, co-founder and CEO of Zomato, has just joined the exclusive list of India's ultra-wealthy who call DLF Camellias in Gurgaon home. One of the most premium residential communities in the country, Camellias has attracted top names from India's business world, and Goyal is now among them. As per The Times of India, Goyal's latest purchase is a sprawling 10,813 square foot apartment located on the fifth floor of Tower 1. The deal, valued at Rs 52.3 crore, includes five dedicated parking spaces and came with a stamp duty of Rs 3.66 crore, according to Hindustan Times. At Rs 48,390 per square foot, it stands as one of the more expensive transactions in India's real estate scene. While the conveyance deed was officially registered on March 17, 2025, the buyer's agreement dates back to April 2022. This isn't Goyal's first big-ticket real estate acquisition. In recent years, he also picked up a prime plot in Mehrauli, Delhi for Rs 50 crore. The Financial Express reports that current listings at DLF Camellias start at around Rs 70 crore, with configurations ranging from four BHKs to lavish six BHK units. The property is no stranger to headline-making deals. In December 2024, Info-X Software CEO Rishi Parti grabbed attention with a Rs 190 crore penthouse purchase. Before that, Wesbok Lifestyle's Smiti Agarwal invested Rs 95 crore in an apartment, while Lenskart's Peyush Bansal purchased a 7,361 square foot unit for roughly Rs 27 crore. Among Goyal's new neighbors are some of India's most recognisable startup founders and CEOs – Aman Gupta (boAt), Varun Alagh (Mamaearth), Ashneer Grover (BharatPe), and Lokvir Kapoor (Pine Labs). An IIT Delhi graduate, Goyal began his professional journey at Bain & Company. In 2008, he co-founded Foodiebay with Pankaj Chaddah, which soon evolved into what we now know as Zomato.
