Subhechcha Ganguly 
A chilling account has emerged in the Greater Noida dowry death case, with the seven-year-old son of 28-year-old Nikki Bhati claiming that he saw his mother being set ablaze by her husband and in-laws.
The boy told relatives that he witnessed something being poured on his mother before she was set on fire with a lighter. “He cries every evening thinking of his mother. He keeps saying, ‘They burnt my mother.’ We try to comfort him,” said Nikki’s father, Bhikari Singh Payla, in a statement to NDTV.
Police have arrested four people in connection with the case — Nikki’s husband, Vipin Bhati; his brother, Rohit Bhati; and their parents, Daya and Satyavir Bhati.
According to Nikki’s family, the murder was linked to a dowry demand of ₹36 lakh. Nikki’s elder sister, Kanchan — married to Vipin’s brother Rohit — alleged that she saw her sibling being burnt alive after failing to meet the demand. She further claimed that she too was assaulted by her in-laws for dowry.
The tragic incident occurred on August 21 following an argument between Nikki and Vipin. Family members said Nikki was assaulted before being doused in a flammable substance and set on fire. She suffered 70% burns and later succumbed to her injuries.
Vipin, however, has denied the allegations, claiming Nikki died by suicide.
Nikki’s father, devastated by the loss, said: “I lost my daughter, what is left now? I will raise my grandson as best as I can.”
The case is under investigation.
