Gurugram tennis player murdered for not pursuing her father’s ‘dream’
It was Radhika’s departure from active tennis to pursue financial freedom by setting up a tennis academy that provoked her father to kill her, the police have said in their initial investigations into the Gurugram horror.
The accused, Deepak Yadav, had spent over Rs 2.5 crore on Radhika’s training, hoping she would become a top professional player. However, after an injury almost three months ago, she refused to return to the game and fulfil his “dream”. Radhika decided to become financially independent through her coaching academy. As she began earning her own money and living life on her own terms, it allegedly angered her father. The revelation was made by 49-year-old Yadav, who was sent to one-day police remand on being produced in the court.
The 25-year-old state-level tennis player was allegedly shot dead by her father at their residence in Sector 57 here on Thursday morning. Yadav shot her four times and the police were alerted by the hospital where she was rushed by the family.
Senior investigation officers revealed that Yadav had so far denied any tussle over social media or the possibility of honour killing. It was the daughter’s tennis academy that had become a bone of contention between the two for last 15 days. Yadav claimed he was constantly being mocked by peers and relatives for living off his daughter’s academy’s earning, which left him ashamed.
Unanswered questions
Deepak Yadav has failed to answer why he shot four times if there was no immediate trigger?
When he himself funded Radhika’s academy, why was he against his daughter earning her own?
Why Radhika’s mother, who was home at the time of the crime, is yet to record her statement?
“My peers and relatives would often mock me saying ‘I did not need to earn as now my daughter was feeding me’. It would happen daily when I would meet them. I have a good rental income along with my real estate money and these comments hurt my self-respect. Radhika was choosing academy and distancing from our conventional way of life. She was adamant on making own money and living her life her way. I don’t even know what exactly happened that day, but I shot her,” Yadav reportedly told the police in his confession.
The police dismissed reports about Radhika’s social media activity being the motive of murder as she had been inactive since a year and many of her accounts were already deleted. She had featured in a song on YouTube but the family, including her father, admitted that it was shot a year ago with their consent.
“Social media has no role in Radhika’s confrontation with her father. After her death, a song featuring her has gone viral. The family has informed us that it was done a year ago with their consent. The social media handles of Radhika are inactive for over a year. The accused had a tussle with her since a fortnight over the academy and was asking her to shut it. The police are looking into the claims,” said Sandeep Kumar, official spokesperson of the Gurugram police.
A senior investigator told The Tribune that Deepak invested 12 years of his life in shaping Radhika’s career as tennis player. It was cut short by an injury and even after rehabilitation she chose to give up active play for coaching. This triggered her father who felt his efforts were wasted.
India