1 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:32,560 As soon as we got there, 2 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,480 they all started screaming and shouting with joy. 3 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,520 Priyanka asked if I had brought the special Punjabi shoes for her. 4 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:43,800 I said, "Yes!" I had bought them especially for her. 5 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:50,880 I bought dresses for Pratibha and dry fruits for the family. 6 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,320 Everyone was in a festive mood. 7 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:03,720 We celebrated and danced all night. 8 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,800 We didn't even realize how time passed. 9 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,560 All the musical arrangements were made by Lalit. 10 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:15,160 He had set up the playlist on his phone and when our turn came to perform, 11 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,000 the right song would play from his phone. 12 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:27,320 I started the dance and one by one they all joined me. 13 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,760 After all, we were celebrating Priyanka's engagement. 14 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:43,640 We were dancing in exactly the same place where they were found hanging. 15 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,160 Who knew that in just ten days this would happen? 16 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:50,520 It was beyond anyone's imagination. 17 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,400 "Autopsy" as such means to see for yourself. 18 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:17,760 That is the examination of the bodies. 19 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:23,520 When I heard the news first, that 11 deaths had happened, 20 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:25,800 I knew that it's going to be a long day. 21 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,040 The dead can't speak for themselves. 22 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,800 So we become like their spokespersons. 23 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:40,120 That we have to find out their truth and bring it out in the open. 24 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,400 I think what we saw in this family was an extreme version 25 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,320 of what we see in families all over the world. 26 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,040 The family presents itself very often, 27 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,520 as this beautiful, harmonious, intact "Indian family." 28 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:03,920 Families have secrets 29 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,920 and they can be preserved at all sorts of costs. 30 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,120 The post-mortem started around 3:30 p.m. 31 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:33,240 11 bodies will take time. 32 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:37,200 Alongside, the media was snooping around, hoping to get a lead. 33 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:40,800 Hoping to get a scoop from the mortuary. 34 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:44,560 Whatever is there, we are doing it. Let the results come. 35 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,320 Were they sedated? 36 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,840 Was their food poisoned? All these possibilities are there. 37 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,680 Why was the door left open? Ten bodies were found hanging. 38 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:57,080 But the body of the matriarch was found head down, on the floor. 39 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,440 …and she was allegedly strangulated. 40 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,040 Would you kill your mother? 41 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:06,800 Why would my family kill my mother? Stop making false accusations! 42 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,400 How could a family go from throwing a big bash for their daughter 43 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,320 to mass suicide in 14 days? 44 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,000 I was here with the family for five days. 45 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:16,640 I left on the 20th. 46 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:18,000 If they had to commit suicide 47 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,720 why would they spend about Rs. 400,000 on the engagement? 48 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,320 Now, the actual cause of death 49 00:04:23,399 --> 00:04:25,720 can only be verified by the post-mortem reports. 50 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:28,720 The police has transferred the case to the Crime Branch. 51 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,480 The biggest clue we found was the CCTV footage. 52 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:35,440 The CCTV did not show any outsider's entry in the house. 53 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:41,920 The footage from that night showed movement of only the family members. 54 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,640 11 members of a family died here on Sunday. 55 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,560 But it now appears, on the basis of new CCTV footage, 56 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,360 that this had methodically been planned. 57 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:13,400 The house had four rooms. We minutely checked every corner. 58 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,400 We didn't want to miss any detail. 59 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,640 We wanted to collect every piece of evidence. 60 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,400 From just looking at the crime scene, I knew something was up. 61 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:35,440 We found the remains of a ritual pyre. 62 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,560 The ash was very telling. 63 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:44,080 It suggested that they did some ritual the night before. 64 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,000 Generally, in cases of suicide, 65 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,080 we search near the temple area where people place suicide notes. 66 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,360 We did a thorough search and we found a diary near the shrine. 67 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:06,760 We saw the diary and we read its contents. 68 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:08,560 Everything became clear to us. 69 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:14,200 We found another one in another room, 70 00:06:14,280 --> 00:06:17,800 and then I made my team comb the entire place. 71 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,400 Every room was checked at least ten times. 72 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:23,520 Ten times. 73 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:26,880 In total, we found 11 diaries. 74 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,240 The earliest was dated 2007. 75 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:34,520 And the last was just before the incident. 76 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:36,800 11 years. 77 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,320 The biggest problem was that there was no witness, 78 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,280 no known offender, and no survivor. 79 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:49,720 In this situation, the diaries proved to be 80 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:51,480 the most crucial evidence in this case. 81 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:57,720 You can see the Crime Branch officials exiting the house. 82 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:00,880 They have found some documents and diaries 83 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,000 that they have discovered from the scene of the crime. 84 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:09,600 The contents of these diaries are being taken for verification. 85 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:16,240 Standing on a terrace, we could see the police 86 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,560 were carrying away some notes and diaries. We watched this. 87 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,320 What do the diaries say? What are the handwritten notes? 88 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:32,000 Any idea what is written in those handwritten documents? 89 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,320 I have some idea, but at this point it will not be desirable to say anything. 90 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:39,360 How do we explain something like this to our readers? 91 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:44,640 Because we were clueless about what's written in those notes. 92 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,120 Are those notes related to this incident? 93 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,160 Are those notes responsible for the 11 deaths? 94 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:57,960 There was a lot of pressure to be the first one to break the news. 95 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,480 And some reporters were being pulled up to find answers as soon as possible. 96 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,640 I was standing outside that house and looking at it. 97 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:11,680 Suddenly, my eyes fell on the bare wall. 98 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,680 On that there were objects that looked like dots. 99 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,840 I was at a distance, so I took my phone out and zoomed in. 100 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:24,400 I was talking to my colleague about the strange pipes on the wall, 101 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,360 wondering who would place pipes like this in their house? 102 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,160 Just then a channel was reporting live. They heard us. 103 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:36,400 Surprisingly, seven pipes were facing downwards. 104 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:38,200 Four of them were straight. 105 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:41,360 Among the dead were seven females 106 00:08:41,919 --> 00:08:42,799 and four males. 107 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:46,520 And the pattern of the pipes 108 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:50,440 was exactly the same as the hanging bodies. 109 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:54,680 While we were still discussing this, 110 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,400 the other reporter spoke about it on his live report. 111 00:08:57,960 --> 00:08:59,520 Pipes, planning, and pattern. 112 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,600 The pipes and the pattern of the hanging bodies. 113 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:07,240 11 pipes were seen protruding… 114 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:11,400 Were these pipes installed to help the 11 souls escape? 115 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,600 Soon, the number 11 became a recurring theme in this case. 116 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:19,840 As you can see, there are 11 bars on the grill. 117 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:22,200 And now we have found 11 windows and 11 vents. 118 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:27,600 This was my idea that the number 11 has some deep relevance in this case. 119 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:30,040 The pipes had no other meaning. 120 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,960 They were installed for light and ventilation. 121 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:34,920 They asked me to put pipes 122 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:37,080 because they didn't want to put windows facing another plot. 123 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,720 They shall be closed when the neighbours construct their wall. 124 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:43,840 It didn't seem logical to us. 125 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,880 It didn't feel like it was for ventilation. 126 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,880 Why would someone put pipes for ventilation? 127 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,760 And how can bent pipes be used for ventilation? 128 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:00,360 We put the pipes randomly. 129 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,640 I got hold of some old pipes, some bent and some straight. 130 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:10,080 My workers were lazy. They didn't bother to cut the bent pipes. 131 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:12,480 There is nothing more to it. 132 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,720 The question remains, why is everything in that house 133 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:21,920 numbered at 11? 134 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:29,360 In my opinion, this whole "11" thing is just a coincidence. 135 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:31,680 There is absolutely no connection 136 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,800 between the pipes, the numbers, and 11 people dying. 137 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,880 But again, because the story was so intriguing, 138 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:40,160 that it was tough to understand. 139 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:41,520 Who were these people? 140 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:47,160 How could somebody as old as 14 agree to do something like this? 141 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:51,440 How could an educated girl pursuing Master's in Commerce, 142 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:53,720 who's working with an MNC, 143 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,080 how could they agree into doing something like this? 144 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:00,760 They were doing what the diaries said. This much I believe. 145 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:05,840 That they were absolutely abiding by whatever was written 146 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:07,440 inside those diaries. 147 00:11:10,680 --> 00:11:13,640 Once we found the diaries, we started reading them. 148 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:15,720 And then, it took us a lot of time. 149 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:20,520 I read each and every word myself. 150 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:25,600 I just locked myself in the office and I read it, at one go. 151 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:29,440 The language was instructional. 152 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:31,640 At times, scolding. 153 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,200 It was conversational. 154 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,000 And immediately we went to the last page. 155 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:40,240 And there it was. 156 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,720 Everything we found at the crime scene was exactly as was written in the diaries. 157 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,560 They had documented the whole procedure. 158 00:11:53,680 --> 00:11:55,960 They had written it about a week ago. 159 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,360 And they are talking about a ritual which will run for the next seven days. 160 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:01,160 Which they called the "Badh Pooja." 161 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,800 Badh is a tree which has roots hanging from the branches. 162 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:10,440 So the language suggests that they have to behave 163 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:12,480 like the roots hanging from branches. 164 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:15,200 They even wrote the time. 165 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,480 It's supposed to happen at about 1:00 in the morning. 166 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:28,000 "Perform the Badh ritual for seven consecutive days." 167 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,720 "If somebody visits the home, it has to be performed the next day." 168 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,200 "Nothing should be visible." 169 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:35,160 "Dim light should be used. The eyes should be completely shut." 170 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:38,280 "The blindfold should be properly tied on the eyes." 171 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:40,640 "The mouth should be gagged by the handkerchief." 172 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:43,240 "The state of mind has to be zero." 173 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:45,480 "Nothing but infinity." 174 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,160 "While you are standing at attention, 175 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,440 imagine the branches of the tree are wrapping themselves around you." 176 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:03,000 "Perform the Banyan tree ritual with unity and determination." 177 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:05,200 "This will help repent for your mistakes." 178 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:15,200 I went to great lengths to get my hands on some pages of the diaries. 179 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:21,160 I tried calling a few people, but no one had any leads. 180 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:28,560 I was trying every angle when I got a call from my source. 181 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,560 Those notes were terrifying. 182 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:40,520 I was going through each and every line written in those notes. 183 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,160 Trying to understand the intention and meaning behind them. 184 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,200 Since I had access to those notes, 185 00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:51,480 I wanted to publish them the very next day. 186 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:56,560 It was an exclusive. 187 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:03,360 It seemed like these notes were written on a daily basis. 188 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:10,760 Every morning, each family member used to check the diary 189 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,760 for their routine for that day. 190 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:17,360 What each of them is supposed to do, who has defaulted. 191 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:19,600 "You all have to perform a prayer tonight." 192 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:21,800 "Attend to Mother's needs in the morning." 193 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:27,160 There is a diary entry, December 24, 2017, 194 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:28,960 wherein, it's written, 195 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,400 "Dhruv is spending too much time on the mobile phone." 196 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:33,320 "This must be corrected." 197 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:39,440 So even these kinds of little things they have mentioned in those diaries. 198 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,960 The diaries actually tell them how to conduct their life. 199 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,520 It was also filled with weird and eerie details, 200 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:57,160 which hinted at witchcraft and occult practices 201 00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:59,720 and that this was responsible for their deaths. 202 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:07,040 It seemed like there was some other mystical energy, 203 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,280 that there was another presence apart from these 11 people, 204 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:13,240 that was giving them directions, 205 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,080 "Do this. Do that." 206 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,960 The family was drowned in superstitious beliefs. 207 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:20,920 This made us believe that 208 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:26,440 maybe they were advised by a tantrik to perform such a ritual. 209 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:28,600 Sir, any involvement of a tantrik? 210 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,240 A guru of any sort? 211 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:31,960 Any seer involved? 212 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:33,920 The media was putting pressure on the investigation. 213 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:35,480 The papers reported about a tantrik's involvement. 214 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:37,200 Our seniors asked us to look for a tantrik. 215 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:40,600 That's when the plumber's daughter got dragged into it. 216 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:42,840 They interviewed her and declared her the tantrik, 217 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:44,960 just because she dresses in red clothes. 218 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:50,000 Geeta Mata was the daughter of the contractor 219 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,840 who was renovating Lalit's house. 220 00:15:54,920 --> 00:16:00,880 The media hyped her as the family's spiritual guru. 221 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:05,040 Delhi Police Crime Branch is questioning tantrik Geeta Mata 222 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:06,120 in the Burari death case. 223 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,480 Geeta has been arrested from her house in Burari. 224 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:11,880 I have nothing to do with this case. 225 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:16,040 That's all I have to say. And I don't know anything else. 226 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:19,640 My father has five contracts at any time 227 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,480 and I don't meet everyone that he works for. 228 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:25,840 The media is capable of making a mountain out of a molehill. 229 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:28,240 They'll do anything to create sensational news. 230 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:30,400 I was harassed for no reason. 231 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,200 The news showed my face 232 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:36,160 and spoke all sorts of rubbish about me. 233 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:39,080 I told the people from media this as well. 234 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,520 That I had no role in it at all. 235 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,160 My children starved for three days. 236 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,000 I was unable to cook food for them. We were so tense. 237 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,520 And I was called for questioning multiple times all over the city. 238 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,040 It is not a good thing to trouble a decent person. 239 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:59,960 We looked for some person with a religious, spiritual background 240 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,360 who might have been in contact with the family. 241 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:07,080 Late night calls, daily messages, something like that. 242 00:17:08,120 --> 00:17:10,400 We did not find a single person of that sort. 243 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:12,119 Not even one. 244 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:15,800 So then the second question was who wrote the diaries? 245 00:17:22,319 --> 00:17:25,280 In India, a typical joint family 246 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:28,560 is several generations living under one roof 247 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,000 and there being a head of household, a patriarch. 248 00:17:33,079 --> 00:17:35,960 And all authority is derived from him. 249 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:44,480 But once the father dies there's a vacuum in the family. 250 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:51,200 The family was heavily influenced by Bhopal Singh. 251 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:53,320 He was an authoritative figure. 252 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,680 Bhopal Singh wasn't financially well-off. 253 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:00,600 Bhopal Singh came to Narayani Devi's father, 254 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:01,680 asking for work. 255 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:09,560 Her father took a liking to Bhopal Singh and found him to be honest and reliable. 256 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:13,240 So, he offered his daughter's hand in marriage 257 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:14,560 and took Bhopal Singh into the family and his home. 258 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,960 That's when Bhopal Singh took on the surname "Bhatia." 259 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:22,040 He dropped his earlier surname "Chundawat." 260 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:28,600 After his death, things started changing. 261 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,720 When he was alive, he was the head of the family. 262 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:38,040 He used to guide the whole family down to planning the children's education. 263 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:42,160 How to manage the savings and expand the business. He made all decisions. 264 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:44,840 When the father passed away, 265 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,080 the family wondered who will take over as the head of family? 266 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,960 From 1988 to 2018, 30 years of friendship. 267 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:15,120 They moved to Delhi in the '90s. Before that they lived in Tohana. 268 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:18,000 In Delhi they started from scratch. 269 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:21,640 From that time to today, we would go to Delhi only because of them. 270 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,680 The eldest brother lived away from the family, in Kota. 271 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:29,160 Dinesh, that's his name. 272 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:31,920 The middle one, Bhuvnesh, was very reserved. 273 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,640 He'd leave for work in the morning, come back at night. 274 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:41,840 Although he was the youngest, everyone would listen to Lalit. 275 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:45,280 It was because he was mature beyond his years. 276 00:19:45,360 --> 00:19:47,960 So everyone looked up to him. 277 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:51,960 I was confused about why he was so mature despite being so young. 278 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:53,320 He took care of everyone. 279 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:56,640 From his mother down to the children. 280 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,800 He successfully filled the void that his father's death left behind. 281 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:06,400 The family considered his word as final. 282 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,120 Lalit was Chander's friend even before our marriage. 283 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,760 I really liked him. He was like an elder brother to me. 284 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,520 I would look up to him for guidance on everything. 285 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:20,600 He would say, "Don't mind Chander's anger." 286 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:23,080 "He's been like this since the beginning." 287 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,040 When they would sit with each other, 288 00:20:25,120 --> 00:20:27,320 they would crack up with jokes all of the time. 289 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,760 They were just like us, the average middle-class family. 290 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:39,960 She isn't permitted to go out without my father's consent. 291 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,040 She needs his consent. 292 00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:45,120 Even though we know he will never say no. 293 00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:48,120 But the veto power is with my father. 294 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:51,880 That's why it's been 25 years, no fights between us. 295 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:53,160 So far, no fights. 296 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,000 All of them listened to Lalit. 297 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,080 Whatever he said was obeyed by all. 298 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:04,520 Even during festivals we used to see 299 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:08,800 Lalit was leading the festivities. 300 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:13,480 None of the kids would even light up a fire cracker in Lalit's absence. 301 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,080 We moved here around '97-'98. 302 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,800 In the beginning years, we didn't observe this kind of behaviour. 303 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,760 I wonder why everything changed only after his father's death. 304 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:28,880 We don't know about their relationship when Bhopal Singh was alive. 305 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:33,240 But after his death, Lalit's attachment to his father 306 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:34,680 became stronger. 307 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:42,520 First entry according to my notes is September 2007. 308 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:44,960 Right after Bhopal Singh's death. 309 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,080 Most of the things mentioned in the diary were related to Lalit. 310 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,640 "You all are making Lalit very anxious." 311 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:01,880 "Follow Lalit's instructions or else the outcome will be disastrous." 312 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:05,560 "If you want solutions to your problems 313 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:08,400 then you must follow Lalit's instructions." 314 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:13,920 As the police found more diaries, more details came to the front. 315 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,440 That's when we discovered that since 2007, 316 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:20,920 Lalit was being visited by his dead father in his dreams. 317 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:23,400 He was having conversations with his dead father, 318 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:25,080 following everything his father told him. 319 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:30,640 And slowly, he started sharing these instructions with the family. 320 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,320 Neetu had told her neighbours 321 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:40,800 that her uncle was possessed by their grandfather's spirit. 322 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:42,840 The spirit guides the family. 323 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:50,720 Whenever Lalit was possessed, his voice would change. 324 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:57,400 The voice that he spoke in was the father's voice. 325 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:04,480 That must have been a moment, which I think did something to everyone. 326 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:09,160 He became a medium for the spirit of his father 327 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,720 and he would speak and behave like his father. 328 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:17,680 Even though Narayani Devi was Lalit's mother, 329 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:19,560 he addressed her as "Narayani." 330 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:23,320 Just the way Uncle Bhopal used to address her. 331 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,960 Lalit was being possessed by his father's spirit. 332 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:30,120 And whatever Lalit wrote 333 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:34,240 was assumed to be instructions for the family from the dead father. 334 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,720 After I leave, all of you must go to sleep. 335 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:39,840 No need for discussions. 336 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,720 My visitations are not an ordinary occurrence. 337 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,680 You must not take God's will lightly. 338 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:49,680 Don't worry about Lalit's health. 339 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:52,520 My visits affect him physically. 340 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:53,800 Sleep will heal him. 341 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:56,840 Pay attention to this line from the diary, 342 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,960 "Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, I will be back." 343 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:06,120 Instead of your own will, follow the will of the diaries. 344 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:11,680 Don't think, "What is the use?" 345 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,640 When it actually happens your eyes will open. 346 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:21,800 My next visit will be on Thursday or Saturday. 347 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:24,880 Be fully ready. 348 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:29,640 The language that Lalit was using, 349 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,880 he wasn't saying that, "I'm saying you should do this." 350 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:36,120 It's like, the father has said that Lalit should do this. 351 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:39,360 Now the father is dead. 352 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:41,320 So in some ways a dead person… 353 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,960 You know it's kind of ironical, that somehow a dead person 354 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:50,280 demands more authority and commands more respect from the family. 355 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:54,160 So here is nine, ten people in the family 356 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:59,080 ready to listen to Lalit, which are the instructions of the father. 357 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:06,240 I never felt like Savita had any interests of her own. 358 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:09,320 All she ever did was to manage the kitchen morning to night. 359 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,440 We wondered why the poor woman was always in the kitchen. 360 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,440 I think the diaries dictated this role to her. 361 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:23,200 Savita has not been able to come to terms with her role in the kitchen. 362 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:30,640 She must put an end to her temper tantrums. 363 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,120 Be mindful of your mother's age and needs. 364 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:36,520 If you are able to keep your parents happy, 365 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,160 you are serving God's wishes. 366 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:43,760 Savita and Tina must improve their relationship with Pratibha. 367 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:45,440 Make her feel loved. 368 00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:48,840 Bhuvnesh, be careful! 369 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:52,760 Doom will enter the house in the guise of alcohol. 370 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,360 The lack of harmony between Priyanka and Neetu 371 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:58,200 creates obstructions at various levels. 372 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:04,160 You all must emulate Lalit and Tina's values and behaviour. 373 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,960 Lalit's wife, Tina, was very good-natured. 374 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:16,040 But since Lalit had taken over as head of the family, 375 00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:20,600 Tina stood to benefit from that. 376 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:22,320 Life can be difficult for a daughter-in-law. 377 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:25,560 Whatever Lalit said, Tina would second that. 378 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,440 They were two bodies but one soul. 379 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:33,040 So she must have encouraged him, 380 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:36,160 since it was beneficial to her. 381 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:42,440 It's most shocking to know about Tina. She held a master's degree in Sociology. 382 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:47,000 Yet, she supported him? 383 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:53,280 All your present gains are thanks to Lalit and Tina's efforts. 384 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:56,560 Every small mistake you make 385 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,000 has an effect on Lalit and Tina's well-being. 386 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:05,280 To protect Lalit and Tina, you all will be put through a test till Diwali. 387 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:09,360 11 years is a long time. 388 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:14,520 Did he get any opposition from his family members? 389 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:19,040 Was he challenged by anybody? Did anybody make an effort to get away? 390 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:20,120 Clearly not. 391 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:23,360 It takes two to play a game. 392 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,000 You have to have people who will say, 393 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:28,880 "Okay, I am willing to be controlled." 394 00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:33,720 The day this case was registered, 395 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:38,040 the police submitted eight to ten diaries in question 396 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:41,000 along with personal diaries of family members. 397 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,560 Our job was to find if the handwriting matched 398 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:47,360 the writing in the personal diaries. 399 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:55,480 We felt that it must be Lalit who was writing those notes. 400 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:02,480 But the forensic report prepared by the handwriting expert 401 00:28:02,560 --> 00:28:06,360 revealed that Pratibha's daughter, Priyanka, 402 00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:11,880 and Bhuvnesh's daughter, Neetu, used to write these notes. 403 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:18,760 This came as quite a shock, that on Lalit's instructions, 404 00:28:19,360 --> 00:28:23,000 these new age girls were taking notes. They were so influenced by him. 405 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:29,840 Not a single member of the family spoke about this to anyone outside. 406 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:31,680 This was the amount of control. 407 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:35,080 You can call it faith or belief. Or even fear. 408 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:36,160 But this is how it was. 409 00:28:37,360 --> 00:28:41,720 Earlier, they were just managing to survive financially 410 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:45,320 but after Daddy's death, when they started these rituals, 411 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,560 life started looking up for them. 412 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:53,240 They thought they were prospering. They opened a new shop. 413 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:54,720 Priyanka got a job. 414 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,680 They all began to do well and settle down. 415 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,480 They believed that all this prosperity was coming to them 416 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,920 because they were following Daddy's instructions. 417 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:09,760 Whatever he said bore good results. They began making profits. 418 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:12,480 Then, their financial position also became better. 419 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:17,400 He even took credit for the girl's marriage that was arranged. 420 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,840 "All these good things are happening because you're following the diaries." 421 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:25,080 We all attended Priyanka's engagement. 422 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:27,200 Our whole family went. 423 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,440 The family made elaborate arrangements as you can see in the video. 424 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:32,440 The children prepared for days. 425 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,560 They rehearsed the dance with a professional choreographer. 426 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:42,360 Based on Priyanka's Facebook profile and police investigation, 427 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:44,360 we have come to know that 428 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:49,080 she was working as a senior executive in a multi-national company. 429 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:50,960 She had graduated from University of Delhi. 430 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:57,240 When I had spoken to an official in her office, 431 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,040 he said that she used to maintain her distance. 432 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:06,400 In fact, from what I was told, 433 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,560 she had not told about her engagement in office at all. 434 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,680 The girls were like goddesses, so pure and good-hearted. 435 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:23,840 What was their fault? 436 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:29,640 My heart pains every time I think about those kids. 437 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:31,720 This was their time to enjoy life. 438 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,640 Do not disobey my instructions in the diaries. 439 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:43,680 Despite making mistakes, you come here in the evening 440 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:45,600 and claim to have made no mistakes. 441 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:51,920 Do not forget that the vibrations of your old mistakes never end. 442 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:54,360 They follow you. 443 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:59,160 If you continue to disregard God's warnings, 444 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,080 God might summon you in person. 445 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:06,440 These are very educated children. 446 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,080 They are young. 447 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:11,360 They are at an age group when they should be asking questions. 448 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:15,360 Especially the younger generation. They are, at the face of it, "modern." 449 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:17,760 I don't feel I know 450 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:23,560 how the multiplicity of voices which is usually there in human beings, 451 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:28,440 how it could have been so completely silenced? 452 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:33,040 Let's in fact begin with some breaking news. 453 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:35,680 The post-mortem report has now confirmed 454 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,640 that the ten deaths of the family members were due to hanging. 455 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:42,120 The post-mortem report of the oldest family member, 456 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:46,560 the grandmother, however, is yet to be released. 457 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:53,880 Emotions actually take a back seat whenever we are dealing with dead bodies. 458 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:56,960 Because we have to look at it very technically. 459 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:00,600 The grandmother, the eldest member, 460 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:03,440 hers was a case of "partial hanging." 461 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,840 She was found lying by the side of her bed. 462 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,920 There was a wardrobe next to her. The scarf was tied to its handle. 463 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:19,040 When we read the diaries, this was all explained. 464 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:22,800 Since mother is old and overweight, 465 00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,400 she will not be able to perform the ritual standing on a stool like others. 466 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:29,360 She will do the ritual lying down. 467 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:37,120 I don't know if Narayani Devi was forced or if she was easily convinced? 468 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,560 The grandmother did have some injury marks. 469 00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:44,480 That could happen if she had been gripped very tightly by someone. 470 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:51,680 It was very difficult for us to understand because it was really unusual, this case. 471 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:56,960 They all had masking, padding, blindfolding. 472 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,400 That was common. Ear plugs. 473 00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:02,320 There was gagging with a handkerchief. 474 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:04,560 One of the children, the boys. 475 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:08,000 The youngest boy. 476 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:13,440 The diaries' entry notes, 477 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:16,240 that gave us a lot of clue about this, 478 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:20,760 which actually corroborated with the post-mortem findings also. 479 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:24,880 Make sure you are bound tightly. 480 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:27,800 God should be impressed with your dedication. 481 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:31,800 Use moist cloths to gag your mouths. 482 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:36,000 If not, use doctor tape over your mouth. 483 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:39,440 You cannot, I don't think 484 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,440 anyone in the world can convince kids to commit suicide. 485 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:47,560 That's why they were tied so tight, so that the ritual happens at any cost. 486 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:55,840 What they did to the children is unforgivable. 487 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,840 Did he make them swallow it, or did he force it down their throats? 488 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:08,440 If he was alive, I don't know what I would have done to him. 489 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:10,240 I feel so much anger. 490 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:19,760 So many questions that this case raised about my own beliefs, and society. 491 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:24,000 There is such a thin line between faith and delusion. 492 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:27,120 Where does faith end and where does delusion start, you know? 493 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:29,199 Where do you draw the line? 494 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:39,000 I went up the steps and saw everybody standing in a circle. 495 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:43,600 I stood there for two minutes 496 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:46,199 wondering whether it's real. 497 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:52,960 The last one to, what I feel, the last one to commit suicide was Lalit. 498 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:54,480 That's what I think. 499 00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:59,960 Because the ties on his hands were of some kind of wire. 500 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,000 His binds were different from everyone else's. 501 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:07,520 Lalit and Tina, 502 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:10,880 neither of them had their hands tied properly. 503 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:12,320 Their legs too were unbound. 504 00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:15,640 It seems like they were the ones to help tie up the others. 505 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:18,760 It's not possible for anyone to tie themselves from behind. 506 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:26,120 Tina must be his partner in crime. 507 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:28,400 I know that he never hid anything from her. 508 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:32,640 I can't say if anybody else in the family knew what would happen. 509 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,720 These two definitely knew what they were doing. 510 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:41,000 That this would end badly for the family. 511 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:50,520 It's as if the maternal wish to protect the children 512 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:52,760 had been lost. 513 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,720 We often hear of women fighting to, 514 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:01,280 at least if nothing else, protect their children. 515 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:07,840 To me, what this raised was questions of power. 516 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:10,680 Did the women of the house, 517 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,360 and more women died at the end of it than men… 518 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:17,040 Did the women of the house have the right to not participate in that ritual? 519 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:19,760 And if they didn't, can it still be called suicide? 520 00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:21,240 Or should it be called murder? 521 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,720 On the 30th of June, 2018, 522 00:36:29,720 --> 00:36:32,720 the ritual had already begun eight days back 523 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,440 as was written in the notes. 524 00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:39,600 There was a promise of the father arriving in the final act. 525 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:50,480 And that is why the entire family agreed to perform the ritual, 526 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:53,920 to further their betterment. 527 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:56,160 That it's only a matter of 10 to 15 minutes. 528 00:36:57,440 --> 00:37:00,560 They were made to believe that Father will come and save them. 529 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:02,520 "No harm will come to you. This is for your own good." 530 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,480 My name is Jatin. I was Dhruv and Shivam's friend. 531 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:14,040 They were my neighbours. They lived next door. 532 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:19,440 I had met them that night too. I was taking some food stuff home. 533 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:20,800 They were standing at their shop. 534 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:22,560 They were laughing and joking among themselves. 535 00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:23,680 They playfully hit me too. 536 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:28,040 I asked them if they wanted to play. They said, "Not today." 537 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:33,960 It was around 10:30. 538 00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:52,880 The one sentence in this entire episode that will always always stay with me is, 539 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:54,680 "It's time for Daddy's visit." 540 00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:57,920 It was a goose bumpish feeling. 541 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:08,080 And obviously, the magic of the moment was such 542 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,440 that they believed that, "We will not die." 543 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:13,920 "And we can trust so completely." 544 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:23,240 God is pleased with you. 545 00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:31,520 Knowing that 11 of you are standing in one line, with one thought. 546 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:38,280 Do not panic while performing the Banyan Tree ritual. 547 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:42,760 The earth might shake or the skies might tremble. 548 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:45,840 Do not let this weaken your resolve. 549 00:38:47,360 --> 00:38:51,480 Convince the children to keep chanting. 550 00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:56,040 The chanting may last from five to 15 minutes. 551 00:38:57,280 --> 00:38:59,480 Till the chanting lasts, 552 00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:02,960 Lalit will protect all of you. 553 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:09,120 The responsibility of tying up everyone has been assigned to one of you. 554 00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:14,320 When all the binds are secure, 555 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,760 then Lalit will give a signal with a stick. 556 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:22,880 Place a tumbler full of water nearby. 557 00:39:24,720 --> 00:39:27,160 Just as the colour of the water changes, 558 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:28,720 I will come back.