New Delhi:
11 members of the Bhatia family were mysteriously found dead in their home on Sunday. The crime branch have recovered handwritten notes at the Sant Nagar house which mentions a set of instructions on how to carry the act in order to “attain salvation”.
According to the notes it appears that Lalit, Narayani Bhatia’s youngest son, had been making notes of his late father Gopal Das Bhatia’s “directions”. It appears that Lalit had been hallucinating that his father was giving instructions to the family through him. The first entry in the diary is in 2015.
What does the handwritten notes say?
Every one should be blindfolded, use cotton or saree along with the rope, use dim lights, ‘bebe’ (grandmother) can lie down in other room as she can’t stand, everyone should be more firm and think alike, carry the act between midnight and 1 a.m. It also says that using a stool and keeping the hands, eyes and mouth tied up will help attain salvation.
The notes indicate that the family at some point may have tried to organise a “meeting” with Lalit’s late father. The same night they ordered 20 rotis from a nearby hotel so that their mother would feed them. They even conducted a “havan” hours before suicide.
How did the incident come to light?
Neighbour Gurucharan noticed a milk crate left by the milk supplier at 6:30 a.m outside Bhatia’s shop unattended. The shop was closed but the main door of the house was open. He went upstairs and found the family members hanging. He informed the neighbours and called the police by 7:30 a.m.
The deceased were identified as Narayani Devi (77), her two sons Bhavesh (50), Lalit (45), her daughter-in-laws Savita (48), Teena (42), her daughter Pratibha (57), her grandchildren Priyanka (33), Nitu (25), Monu (23), Dhruv (15) and Shivam (15).
Sujata, Narayani’s daughter who lives in Panipat told to The Quint, “My mother, brothers, sister and rest of the family members cannot commit suicide. They were religious and simple people. They were not following any baba or tantrik. We are not superstitious people. I spoke to my brother, Lalit on Saturday. We discussed family affairs as my sister Pratibha’s daughter, Priyanka got engaged on 17 June. How can they commit suicide?”
She has even demanded the police to show her the handwritten notes.