A Neighbourhood Torn Between Remembering And Forgetting Radhika Yadav

Four days after Radhika Yadav was murdered by her father in their home in Gurugram’s upscale Sector 57, the air around the building remained thick with grief. The sound of a wind chime from the neighbouring house echoed, while business carried on as usual in the nearby shops.

What once seemed like an ordinary neighbourhood has now become a grim focal point after Deepak Yadav shot his daughter at point-blank range. Even though no one spoke about Radhika, her presence lingered—whether with the auto drivers three kilometres away who knew where her erstwhile unremarkable house was or with the shop owner by the roadside, serving tea to the media personnel milling around.

The three-storey building, named Bhagwana Villa—a place Radhika had called home, its facade decorated with tiles of Hindu deities—stands silent. In the vacant plot next door, a makeshift structure has been set up to accommodate the mourners.

While the men sat around smoking hookah—a common sight in Haryana—they spoke of everything but Radhika’s murder. Inside the house, her mother stayed secluded, joined by other women who slipped indoors with their heads covered.

Radhika Yadav (25) was a state-level tennis player. She competed in 10 International Tennis Federation junior tournaments over the course of her early career. After transitioning to the women’s circuit, she reportedly went on to participate in 30 international events between March 2017 and March 2024, travelling to countries including Malaysia, Tunisia, and Burundi, as well as competing at home in India. 

As a junior, she reached a career-high world ranking of 1,638. In the women’s category, her best ranking was 1,999.

Radhika reportedly started training for tennis when she was in Class 3. It was her dream to play Wimbledon one day. As per reports, her father, who had moved from their native Wazirabad village in Gurugram, spent crores on her training.

Deepak has confessed to shooting his daughter. “He was upset with Radhika running the tennis academy, that is why he shot her,” said Sandeep Kumar, public relations officer, Gurugram Police.

The police received the news of the firing at around 10:30AM. She was taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead. Whether the crime was committed in a fit of rage or was it planned, Kumar refused to answer. 

Kumar said that Deepak used his 2004 licensed gun to fire five shots at her daughter from a point-blank range while she was cooking in the kitchen, four of which had hit her vital organs.

The academy where she usually trained stood just a few metres from her home. On Monday, it lay deserted—the tennis courts empty, nets fluttering under the cloudy sky. The caretaker said everyone connected to the place had fallen silent, unwilling to speak given the sensitivity of the tragedy.

The First Information Report (FIR) was registered by Deepak’s younger brother Kuldeep Yadav, who stays on the ground floor of the same house, along with his family.

“I was at home when I heard gunshots at 10.30 a.m. Hearing the noise, I rushed to the first floor of the house, where my brother Deepak resides. I went inside to find my niece Radhika lying in the kitchen and a revolver was in the living room. My son, Piyush, also followed me to the first floor. We both then took Radhika to a private hospital for treatment in Sector 56. The doctor declared her dead after a surgery,” reads the FIR. The 49-year-old father did not attempt to escape.

Media accounts from family friends and relatives recount how dedicated Deepak was towards Radhika’s sports career. He took pride in her accomplishments, and had reportedly missed family events to make sure that Radhika did not miss her coaching classes.

There were multiple theories over the motive of the crime. Himaanshika Singh Rajput— who claims to have known Radhika for almost 10 years and considered herself her "best friend" — released videos on Instagram, alleging that her father's so-called friends were jealous of Radhika's success. 

“They used to taunt him (Deepak) saying things like 'she wears make-up, short clothes', 'you are surviving thanks to her money', 'make her do dhandha' (prostitution)."

Rajput alleged that Radhika was "miserable" 10 days before her death. "She was completely broken and had simply given up. She even told her family that she was ready to live according to their instructions." Rajput further claimed that Radhika's father had "psychological issues", saying that he appeared to have "lost his mind" as he would walk around with an "expressionless" poker face. 

Rajput said that Radhika lived in a "controlled" environment. As per Rajput's Instagram video, Radhika loved posting videos and reels, but eventually, that stopped. Her family would often pressure her, saying, 'What will people say?'

“They had a problem with almost everything and restricted Radhika from doing what she liked. She even had a curfew," she said.

The Gurugram police on Sunday announced that they were not reaching out to friends or individuals who had shared tributes or made allegations online regarding the killing. Officials described the matter as an “open and shut” case, adding that they were preparing a charge sheet supported by substantial forensic findings and witness statements.

The father’s statement to the police states: “When I went to Wazirabad to fetch milk, people in the village taunted me for living off my daughter’s earnings. This upset me. They also pointed fingers at her character. I told my daughter to shut the academy for this reason, but she refused. I was constantly tense over this.” 

He added that the taunts hurt his honour and self-respect. “I was very perturbed and tense for this reason. Due to this tension, I shot my daughter from behind when she was cooking in the kitchen.”

However, claims that Radhika owned her own academy are now debunked. “Radhika had only leased a tennis court at the academy (different from the one where she practised), where she trained young players,” Sukhwinder Dalal, who is associated with the cricket team that also operates out of the same facility. 

According to him, she had leased the court for just a month in May. Sitting in his small office amid the media frenzy, Dalal said that at least ten reporters had been visiting the sports facility every day since the murder. 

Based on the few interactions he had with Radhika, he recalled her as a dedicated sportsperson. They would discuss ways to help her bring in more students. 

The court’s caretaker said he was shocked when he heard the news. “How can a father kill his own child?” he asked, remembering how the “soft-spoken” Radhika always called him bhai—brother. “She didn’t deserve any of this.”

 An investigating officer had reportedly said earlier on Saturday that Radhika did not have her own academy and that she used to train aspirants by booking tennis courts at different places.

“Deepak had asked her several times to stop the training sessions, but she had refused. That was the main tussle between the father and the daughter.”