Page 37 - Tehelka Issue 14E

MYSTERY DEATHS

Family’s trauma:

Trail of notes uncover

the Burari deaths

The Burari deaths get more intriguing as more notes reveal chilling details of how the ‘death ritual’
was planned. Postmortem reports reveal 10 of the family members had hung themselves, while the
report of the eldest family member is still awaited. YOUNIS DAR reports

he handwritten notes found injury marks were found on the bodies. Tina (42) respectively, Narayan’s daugh-
at the home of Burari family, Ten members of the Bhatia family ter Pratibha (57) and five grandchildren,
of whom all the members in Delhi’s Burari were found hanging Priyanka (33), Neetu (25), Monu (23),
were found dead on July 1, from iron mesh in their home on the Dhruv (15) and Shivam (15) were found
T talk of apprehensions that morning of July 1, one of the bodies was blindfolded with their mouths covered
the family may not see the next Diwali, found on the floor, which was appar- with while cloth. The limbs of the eight
because of “someone’s mistakes.” In the ently strangulated. The dairies written of the bodies were tied.
note dated November 11, 2017, Lalit, the by the family members carried the de- The closest relatives of the Bha -
45-year old businessman who led the tails of the ‘death ritual’ detailing how tias are however denying that the
hangings, talks of “family’s mistakes” in family indulged in any kind of occult
“attaining something.” activities, and police has not found the
“Dhanteras aakar chali gayi. Kisi ki involvement of any baba in the case. The shows. Further investigations showed • Future indefinite No one in neighbourhood or experts, the psychiatrists and the crime
purani galti ke aabhaav se kuch prapti Relatives of the police are now investigating the angle the family had been preparing for the relatives had the whiff of what was coming branch itself, besides the saints who are
se door ho. Agli Diwali na mana sako. of ‘shared psychosis’, which is a psychi- ‘ghostly’ ritual for about ten days in well versed with the rituals associated
Chetavni ko nazar andaaz karne ke bajai Bhatias deny that atric syndrome in which symptoms of advance. with occult practices.
gaur kiya karo (Dhanteras has already the family indulged a delusional belief are transmitted from What is more befuddling is that of passing by the house even in the day, The practices of superstition are still
been celebrated. You have not achieved one individual to another. no one in the neighbourhood or even considering the circumstances in which very common in the Indian society. It is
something due to someone’s past mis- in any kind of The investigating authorities also the Bhatia family’s closest relatives the deaths happened. The people living therefore not a surprise that people re-
takes. You might not celebrate the next occult activities, claim to have found notes which indi- had the whiff of what was coming. in this Sant Nagar colony are having sort to such practices and harbor such
Diwali. Pay attention rather than ignor- cated that Lalit Bhatia, who is believed The family had been busy in marriage wild imaginations about what might thinking even in these times. The Burari
ing the warnings),” the entry said. and police have to have led the rituals, had assumed his preparations; the engagement had just have compelled the family to take the case however stands apart in the way
Burari’s alleged mass suicides have father’s alter ego. Lalit would often talk recently been concluded. extreme step. There is an atmosphere of the ‘religious ritual’ was planned and
the Delhiites horrified, with the police not found the and behave like his father, sometimes The written account of their plan inexplicable fear amongst the people in executed, the case took the superstition
yet to come up with a convincing expla- involvement of any observing ‘maun vrat’. is the basis of all the conclusions the the area and it is said the buzzing activ- practices to the extremes. The incident
nation for the family tragedy. The crime The conversations of the family’s police has drawn from the incident, ity in the colony goes off as the darkness shows how deep the practices of super-
branch which is now investigating the baba in the case children with the neighbours also con- the notes contains meticulous plan- descends. stition and witchcraft are entrenched
deaths is piecing together evidence to firmed this aspect. The notes from 2008 ning of the deaths. However, the police It isn’t just the Burari, the story creat- within the Indian society. We hear the
crack the spine-chilling incident, which were recovered, which indicated that maintain that the aim of the ritual was ed shock and horror across the country stories of women burnt on suspicion
has left the neighbourhood in shock the family was to execute the ‘suicides.’ Lalit Bhati had turned to spiritual prac- not to commit suicide, but the incident as the details of the incident emerged. of witchcraft every day from different
and bewilderment. Further, the crime branch has also tices soon after his death. The family ended up in tragedy, quite unexpect- The story was reported in the interna- states across India. So much develop-
The postmortem reports of 10 bod- found a register containing notes about had been convinced that he had been edly. The family was convinced that tional press as well. ment and education has not helped
ies have revealed death by hanging, “salvation”, “shunya” and “appeasing possessed with his father’s soul. The they will achieve ‘salvation’ with their While there is no evidence to point eradicate dogmatic beliefs from our
while postmortem reports of the eldest God.” police also while digging deep and ex- act and will be rescued by the spirit at to an external hand in the deaths, the society. We still have a long way to go to
family member, Narayan Devi, is still 77-year-old Narayan Devi, her two amining the browsing history from the last moment, according the reports police say they are still looking at all an- embrace modern thought and reason.
awaited. The reports indicate the family sons Bhavnesh Bhatia (50) and Lalit his phone found that he often used to by the police. gles to unravel the mystery. The house is
members had hung themselves and no Bhatia (45), their wives Savita (48) and watch paranormal videos and ghost The neighbours are steering clear being thoroughly examined by forensic LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

TEHELKA / 31 JULY 2018 36 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 31 JULY 2018 37 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

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