When 11 members of the Bhatia family killed themselves in north Delhi’s Burari, all eyes were on 11 plastic pipes that protruded out of a wall of the house. It aroused interest in those passing by and served as an identification mark for the infamous building.
Today, the pipes are gone and the holes sealed. It is among the few changes helping the neighbourhood dispel rumours, shed off unwanted attention and get rid of fear in the wake of the deaths.
“The pipes had become a tamasha (spectacle). It wasn’t possible to prevent curious passersby from gathering to take a look and spread rumours. So, I decided to get rid of them altogether,” said Dinesh Chundawat, a member of the family who got possession of the house in mid-October. He lives in Kota, Rajasthan.
Last month, Chundawat got five of the holes cemented and the rest stuffed with broken bricks. “Some of the holes were too high to be reached without a swing,” he said.
Seven of the pipes were bent while the rest were not, prompting suspicions that their presence and position had something to do with the dead people that included seven female and four male members
While the police investigation found it to be mere coincidence, the contractor who had installed the pipes there in the first place had said that they were meant to provide ventilation.
The wall with the pipes used to stare at an empty plot.
“Before their deaths, the (Bhatia) family was renovating their house. I had lent my plot to them for storing the debris. After their deaths, the plot turned into a urinal for people passing by and gathering there,” said HK Singh, a doctor who owns the plot. It had become a vantage point for people to look and point at the pipes.
Now, a 10-foot high boundary wall, painted red, has been constructed around it. It ensures that no one could easily see the pipes, or whatever is left of it.
“Now, many people return disappointed as they cannot spot the pipes,” said Sachin Saini, a local restaurant owner.
“Public memory is short anyway,” said Dr Singh.
Fear had gripped residents nearby after the deaths were reported. Earlier, the Bhatias used to own two shops on the ground floor and was frequented by local residents. But, for months, many didn’t dare to walk the lane next to the house after dark.
But that too has now changed, thanks to Bobby the grocer, who started a shop down the lane from the house.
“Bobby came in August and would keep it open till 11.30 pm. Over the last couple of months, people have started walking on that lane even late at nights,” said Harish Singh, a local resident who admitted that he was unnerved by the deaths for a while.
“Chundawat had offered to allow me to run a shop on the ground floor on rent,” said Bobby. “But the residents warned me that they wouldn’t buy from a shop located in the infamous building. So, I turned down his offer.”
Chundawat, however, said the deal didn’t go through as they differed on the terms of lease.
Chundawat said he had stayed with his family in the house for a few days in mid-October after performing a hawan, trying to dispel rumours and fear around the place. He next plans to shift his son and daughter-in-law to the house and make another attempt at getting the shops on the ground floor for rent.
“My life ended the day I lost 11 of my family. I will continue visiting the house to live with their memories,” said Chundawat.
The people found dead in the house were Chundawat’s 77-year-old mother Narayan Devi, her sons Bhavnesh Bhatia (50) and Lalit Bhatia (45), their wives Savita (48) and Tina (42) respectively, a daughter Pratibha (57) and five grandchildren, Priyanka (33), Neetu (25), Monu (23), and Dhruv and Shivam (both 15).
First Published: Dec 26, 2018 08:38 IST
