The Dark House

It's been seven years since the CBI's psychological autopsy ruled that the Burari deaths were motivated by shared psychosis. Yet the case continues to be viewed through the lens of ‘bizarre’

- Rani Jana

THE ongoing construction on the main road of Sant Nagar, Burari, brought traffic to a standstill. Pedestrians walked through the thick layer of dust that filled the air. On this busy afternoon in July, children were returning from school. Shops were filled with customers. At the centre of this seemingly regular middle-class neighbourhood stood a tall pale-blue wall with 11 holes carved out, which told onlookers another story that even the hustle and bustle could not mask.

The wall belonged to the first house of a narrow gali. The brown door at the entrance of the house had 11 vertical iron bars, with a dramatic knob in the shape of a ship’s wheel that had to be aggressively spun to enter the house. But on July 1, 2018, a neighbour, Gurcharan Singh, was able to open the door with just a gentle push. As he climbed up the stairs, he did not expect the sight that greeted him.

Leaked footage of the site of the incident showed nine of his neighbours hanging from the iron grill on the ceiling. Some of them had their backs turned to him with their hands tied; others who faced him had their eyes and mouths covered with cloth. Lalit Bhatia’s head was tilted back, which may have unravelled the cloth to reveal his face. His hands were loosely bound. His elder brother, Bhuvnesh Bhatia, appeared to have attempted to free himself. Opposite the two brothers hung Pratibha, their older sister. Their mother, Narayani Devi, was found in the other room, lying in front of the bed.

It’s been seven years. A family has moved into the same house where the Bhatias lived. A young, veiled woman looks out the balcony, finally responding to the calls. When asked if she’d be willing to comment on the house she is living in, she declines, saying her husband has gone for