Gurugram: A woman claiming to be the best friend of slain tennis player Radhika Yadav has alleged that the 25-year-old’s father, Deepak Yadav, murdered her following prolonged resentment towards her growing success and independence.
In a series of videos posted on Instagram, the second of which was uploaded on Sunday, Himaanshika Singh Rajput claimed she had known Radhika for nearly a decade and considered her a close friend. In the emotional clip, she alleged that Deepak Yadav was deeply influenced by his acquaintances, who were envious of Radhika’s achievements and taunted him for “living off her”.
“Her father’s so-called friends used to mock him, saying things like ‘she wears make-up, short clothes’, ‘you’re surviving on her money’, and even ‘make her do dhandha (prostitution)’,” Himaanshika said in the video. “How many women must die due to men’s fragile egos?”
The Gurugram Police, however, dismissed the claims made in the video. “Anyone can release videos with such statements. We have sufficient evidence against the accused,” a police spokesperson said.
Radhika Yadav, a former state-level tennis player, was shot dead at her residence last week. According to the post-mortem report prepared by a board of three doctors, she suffered four bullet wounds — three in the back and one in the shoulder. Her father, Deepak Yadav, 49, was arrested and produced before a court on Friday, which remanded him to one-day police custody.
Himaanshika alleged that the murder was not an act of impulse but a premeditated act. “He had planned this three days in advance,” she claimed. “He sent other family members and even their dog out of the house before
executing the plan.”
She further alleged that Radhika had grown increasingly despondent in the days leading up to her death. “She was completely broken. Ten days before the incident, she told her father she was willing to live on his terms,” Himaanshika said. “But he showed no emotion, walking around
with a blank expression.”
According to Himaanshika, the Yadav family held orthodox views and were obsessed with societal judgement, restricting Radhika’s interests like photography and social media. She was made to follow a curfew and frequently questioned about her whereabouts, even having to make video calls to prove who she was with.
A neighbour from Wazirabad, the family’s native village, alleged that Deepak disapproved of Radhika’s partner due to caste differences and was inflexible in his views.
While unconfirmed by police, initial findings suggest tension between father and daughter, reportedly driven by Deepak’s resentment of her rising success. The viral videos have sparked public outrage and renewed debate on parental control and gender expectations. The investigation continues.