Neeraj Chopra reacts to Radhika Yadav’s murder

State-level tennis player Radhika Yadav, 25, was shot dead at their Gurugram home on Thursday, allegedly by her father. Other family members have made allegations that led to the arrest of her father, Deepak Yadav, who is accused of firing three shots. The incident took place in the kitchen of the family’s home in Sector 57 at 10:30 am on Thursday.

A day after the unfortunate incident, several people have come together condoling her demise. Neeraj Chopra, who was in Gurugram on Friday, also reacted to the murder and urged family members to support each other in order to prevent such acts of violence. “I was speaking to a few people about this before. We already have some excellent examples of female athletes from Haryana doing wonders for the country. In families, you should support each other, and those (women athletes) who are doing well should be idolised and followed,” Chopra was quoted as saying by NDTV.

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As per the investigators, the accused, who is 51 years old, was upset over Radhika’s tennis academy. He reportedly became enraged after being ridiculed by several in his hometown, Wazirabad, for surviving solely of his daughter’s earnings from her tennis academy. When he asked her to close the tennis academy, she refused.

“He wanted her to shut down the academy, but she refused. He finally shot her dead over the same dispute,” assistant commissioner of police Yashwant Yadav was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Meanwhile, as per the FIR accessed by media, the accused told authorities that he had been struggling with depression for the previous 15 days as a result of social criticism regarding his daughter’s career and earnings. He confessed that he could no longer stand the humiliation that had wounded his “pride”.

Also Read | Who was Radhika Yadav? Tennis player killed by father in Gurugram

Meanwhile, as per the document, Radhika’s mother, Manju Yadav, declined to comment, claiming that she had a fever and had not seen anything.

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An FIR has been registered at the Sector 56 police station in Gurugram. The father’s opposition to a potential affair or an Instagram social media reel are among the other aspects of the case that the police are looking into.

Radhika was a talented athlete with much promise. She graduated from Scottish High International School, excelled in tennis from an early age, and passed her Class 12 exams from Commerce stream in 2018. Even though she was undergoing physical therapy due to a recent shoulder injury, she continued to coach at her academy and motivate young players.

Radhika, according to police, was known for being vivacious. She frequently filmed celebratory reels with her father.