Nearly four months after 11 members of his family were found hanging at their residence in north Delhi’s Burari, the only surviving son received possession of the house on Sunday.
Chittorgarh resident Dinesh Singh Chundawat entered the family home on Sunday evening and spent the next few days there in “extreme peace”.
“There was absolutely no fear. My wife and I stayed in the family home. We did not perform any ritual before entering the house,” he said, just before leaving for Chittorgarh on Wednesday evening.
Mr. Chundawat said he was in Delhi for six days after he received a call from the Crime Branch, which investigated the deaths, to complete formalities for possession of the house. “I met officers and completed the paperwork. I had to get a document from the authorities to prove that I am related to the family. Everything was done within a few hours and I got the possession on Sunday evening. My wife and I shifted [to the house] immediately,” he said.
Inside the house, the couple found the furniture and articles lying all over the place due to multiple visits by police teams for investigation. “We got the whole house washed and put the furniture back in place to begin with,” Mr. Chundawat said.
He said he has started renovating the house, which was under construction at the time the bodies were found on July 1. Stating that he will keep visiting, Mr. Chundawat said an employee will reside there to take care of the house and supervise the renovation.
“I will return after a few days. My brother Lalit’s trusted worker will stay there with his family. A few doors were left to be installed and that work is complete now. The renovation will continue for a few more weeks,” he said.
Talking about future plans for the house, the Chittorgarh resident said he is contemplating asking his son to move in. “For now, I will shuttle between the two houses. Eventually I might ask my son to move here. He is getting married next year,” he said.
Talking about the experience in the house, Mr. Chundawat said, “There are a lot of memories but there is certainly no fear.”
Narayan Devi, her sons Lalit and Bhavnesh, their wives Tina and Savita, sister Pratibha, children Neetu, Priyanka, Maneka, Shivam and Dhruv were found dead on July 1. The police concluded the family was performing a ritual, which led to their deaths. The police had recovered from the house notes mentioning the ritual. Investigation had revealed that Lalit believed he was summoned by his father Bhopal Singh’s spirit, which directed the family to take decisions.