Introduction
India, on July 10, woke up to the horrific news of murder of a 25-year old national level tennis player, Radhika Yadav. The news is even tragic as the accused in this case is not a relative or a lover but the father of the deceased. Radhika Yadav is allegedly shot dead by her own father, Deepak Yadav, in their house in Gurugram, Haryana. This incident has sent shockwaves across the nation for its brutality. Deepak Yadav has confessed to his crimes upon his arrest, stating his primary motive and the cause to be his own insecurity of being living off his daughters’ earnings from her tennis academy and the continuous taunts for the same by his villagers. He claimed that his ‘dignity’ was hurt and he felt like a fallen father. However, other angles regarding the murder are currently being investigated, some of them being Deepak’s distaste of Radhika’s social media presence, her personal relations and his own anger issues.
Let’s Assume The Opposite Case !
Now, imagine what if Radhika had been a boy, who is a successful tennis player running his own academy and being the breadwinner of his family. The situation and its reception would have been very different. Instead of being ashamed, Deepak would have probably been a proud father, bragging about his son to the world. Living in 2025, it still feels like a crime to be a woman and that too a successful one. This incident is a brutal reminder that despite India’s stride forward, gender biases still exist in our society and made us confront the uncomfortable truths about the societal pressures women face in our so-called modern society.
Gendered Narratives: The Role Of Sympathy, Responsibility, And Respect
In India, traditionally male have been hailed as the breadwinners and providers of the family, while women are often seen as the primary caregivers seen through the lens of sacrifice, exception or even suspicion. When women like Radhika, steps into the society taking up the ‘masculine’ role of provider of family, especially at a young age, her life is defined or even scrutinized by deep-rooted gender norms. She is rarely treated as the professional equal to men. Both the media and general public usually puts too much emphasis on the gender with narratives like ‘a daughter who bore too much’. These narratives often tend to glorify women’s achievements as contribution rather than normalizing successful and independent women, who can also be the earners.
The Promise Of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
Radhika Yadav’s murder case stands in stark contrast with the promise of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign. The campaign was launched with the aim of reducing the existent gender gaps, improving child sex ratios, empowering girls through education and spreading awareness about gender sensitization. Though a transformative campaign, ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ has faced many challenges in its effective implementation. Indeed, society has changed and the figures have shown this, but the real question emerges, ‘Has this transformative campaign truly altered the fabric of Indian society, particularly for women stepping outside traditional boundaries?’
The Emergence Of Female Dominance In Competitive Exams
Throughout these years, women have been actively breaking through the rigid shells patriarchy made for them. From getting quality education to taking up leading roles, women have been more visible in different spheres of our society. One such area is that of education, particularly competitive exams. In the ever evolving landscape of Indian competitive exams, every year millions of aspirants work hard rigorously to achieve their dreams .While the legacy stood males winning the race, females have emerged in the spotlight. Throughout the year, India has witnessed an upward trend in female participation in Indian competitive exams and their success stories to the top are nothing short of inspiration.
Now, let’s turn to objective data. The competitive examination landscape in India is offering a compelling narrative of female empowerment showing how women are not merely participating, but an emergence of their dominance at the highest levels of distinction. The below presented data shows the performance of female aspirants in competitive exams of UPSC CSE, JEE ADVANCED, NEET UG, NEET PG and CLAT UG in the last five years.
1.UPSC CSE
2024: Yet to be declared
2023: Aditya Srivastava (Male)
2022: Ishita Kishore (Female)
2021: Shruti Sharma (Female)
2020: Shubham Kumar (Male)
2.JEE Advanced
2024: Ved Lahoti (Male) – Note: Dwija Dharmeshkumar Patel was the top female at AIR 7.
2023: Vavilala Chidvilas Reddy (Male)
2022: R K Shishir (Male)
2021: Mridul Agarwal (Male)
2020: Chirag Falor (Male)
3.NEET UG
2024: Multiple (many females among them, e.g., Prachita, Palansha Agarwal, Iram Quazi, Mane Neha Kuldeep, Sreenand Sharmil)
2023: Prabanjan J (Male), Bora Varun Chakravarthi (Male) – Joint toppers
2022: Tanishka (Female)
2021: Mrinal Kutteri (Male), Tanmay Gupta (Male), Karthika G Nair (Female) – Joint toppers, one female
2020: Soyeb Aftab (Male), Akanksha Singh (Female) – Joint perfect scores, one female
4.NEET PG
2024: Dr. Vaibhav Garg (Male)
2023: Dr. Aarushi Narwani (Female)
2022: Dr. Shagun Batra (Female)
2021: Dr. Amartya Sengupta (Male)
2020: Dr. Shiv Kumar Sharma (Male)
5.CLAT UG
2024: Jai Bohara (Male)
2023: Abhinav Somani (Male)
2022: Rishabh Shivani (Male)
2021: Manhar Bansal (Male)
2020: Aprajita (Female)
Despite women’s unprecedented achievements in multiple fields , be it education, careers, and competitive arenas, the harsh reality remains that safety and respect still lags behind. Radhika Yadav’s tragic case is a reminder that policy initiatives like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ alone cannot transform society unless there is a deeper shift in mindset. At its core, true change demands that we as a society should stop viewing empowered women as exceptions or threats, instead start treating them as equals. Radhika didn’t just deserve justice; she deserved a society that saw her as more than a girl breaking norms, she was a human being fulfilling her dreams.
Also Read: Radhika Yadav Murder Case: Honour Or Ego? Here’s What We Know In Gurugram Horror
