22-07-2025
Radhika Yadav's murder and what it says about the fragile masculinity prevalent in India
Women have always borne the brunt when it comes to clashes between fragile masculinity and their independence. Words from value education books and lines of radical feminists have failed to materialize in real life. Gender equality is still a utopian idea, veiled in the subtle nuances of everyday existence.
The killing of state level tennis player Radhika Yadav, who decided to set up her own academy, is a symbol of how men can perceive their own daughters as a 'threat'. He had even asked her to stop working at the academy. Embarrassed by constant remarks from neighbours that he was living off his daughter's income, he chose the path less (read: more) travelled by Indian men -- punishing women to exercise dominance over them.
In her recent article 'Mapping masculine anxieties and female homo-sociality in P. Sivakami's novels', Dr. Keerthana, a PhD holder in gender theories from IIT Madras, describes such cases as 'ricochet behaviour' wherein threatened masculinity manifests itself in violent forms.
It is notable that this led to his masculinity tainting -- even destroying -- the bond between father and daughter. He was reportedly unhappy that she made reels and featured in music videos. Moreover, according to investigators, the crime was premeditated as he asked his son to go out to buy milk -- a task he usually did himself -- before allegedly firing four rounds into his daughter's back.
According to Habiba Zafar, working as a project coordinator in an NGO for women's causes, 'This tragic case is a poignant reminder that real progress is not merely about women shattering glass ceilings but it is about transforming the mentality that perceives their independence as disobedience.'
