Being a true-crime genre fan is something interesting as it is reality-based, gives people a glimpse into the minds of others and how they think.
But have you ever heard a story of 11 people being hanged in their own house; no forced entry, neither of them were poisoned, nor were they unhappy. They’re just hunged in the house from the ceiling with their mouths covered, hands and feet tied and eyes blindfolded.
A three-episode documentary on Netflix titled: ‘House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths’ is probably one of the most bizarre and shocking cases witnessed in India up till now. The spine-chilling incident took place in the Burari area in the year 2018 where eleven family members of one family were found dead.
How did the Burari family die?
On the morning of 1 July 2018, eleven members including two men, six women, and two teens were found hanging from the ceiling of their house. Their faces were wrapped almost entirely, ears plugged with cotton, mouths taped and hands tied behind the back.
The eldest family member who was an 80-year-old woman was found dead in another room. It appeared that she had been strangled.
No forced entry was witnessed in the house, according to the investigation based on the CCTV footage. The deceased family was neither tortured nor poisoned.
Were they unhappy?
The family was also said to be happy – making this unlikely, albeit possible. There were three generations in the family that died on 1st July and the third generation was literate, one of them was doing a reputed job and was set to marry just after 14 days of her mass suicide plan.
Their neighbours spilled the beans on how they were a perfect family, the safest neighbours one can ask for, how they were helping and seemed happy family.
Behind mass suicide
According to the investigation, the police found hand-written notes in 11 diaries that showed that Lalit Bhatia, who is said to be possessed by the spirit of his deceased father, Bhopal Singh to guide the family onto the ‘right path’. That’s how the said possession imparted certain dos and don’ts for the family.
In the last notes of the diary which was written just a few days before the mass suicide, their said-to-be deceased father’s spirit instructed them to hand themselves as a ritual to lead a better life. Through this, they can lead a righteous and pure life.
Their belief was so strong over their father’s spirit that they believed after committing such mass suicide. They will be rescued by God or their father’s soul. This is probably the main reason they did not think even once before hanging themselves in which a 14-year-old boy was involved too.
Another theory
Some still believe that Lalit Bhatia, the patriarch member, said to be possessed by his father’s soul could have intentionally arranged the deaths himself. He may have been planning on taking his own life, only to decide to kill the others as well.
Shared Psychotic Disorder is a rare condition that involves one person going through a period of psychosis, which is eventually shared by family members. Lalit Bhatia was believed to be suffering from delusions. He may have managed to convince his family members to follow his lead, with the ongoing belief that Bhopal, his father, would lead them to salvation.
Burari deaths and mental health
The preplanned Burari deaths address the sociological and psychological behavior one can possess. The case is an important watch that leaves you with the thought that society must have difficult conversations to avert such tragedies.
From the nearly 80-year-old to her 14-year-old grandson, the Chundawats had unfortunately held on to a family secret, literally until the last breath.
If we talk about their social life, one of the teachers told that the children seemed perfectly fine and did well in academics. The member who was set to tie the knot was an introvert at her workplace but again there was nothing unusual in her behaviour that her colleagues found alarming.
In their neighbourhood and among friends, they the most helping and had a perfect family and yet, they ended their precious life in such predictable way. Surprised neighbours were not aware of the ‘family dynamics’ of the deceased family. This unfortunate incident is a lesson of mental health for certain societies that hold a deep clutch of superstition blindly.
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