The house of secrets is a 3 part docu-series available on Netflix which documented the horror of Burari deaths of 2018. It is as bone-chilling as it is been talked about on social media and also raises questions about mental health in India being a stigma and how patriarchy is still deep-rooted in Indian households.
CONTEXT:
On the early morning of 1st July, 2018 neighbors of the Bhatia family found all of 11 people in the Bhatia family including two teenage children hanging in their house in burari region of New Delhi. 10 members were said to have volunteered in the suicide on the belief that their grandfather Lalit Chudawat who died a decade earlier in 2006, will come to their rescue and save them. Narayani Devi (80), the oldest member of their family is believed to have been partially hanged using a belt to the nearest Almirah. Police and Crime branch investigations have ruled out suspects of murder.
It is much easier to read such stories on newspaper and pretend this doesn’t happen in our family
Investigative Finding:
Burari deaths have been much talked about and speculated cases on which media and other platforms have portrayed it as a cult suicide, involvement of Blackmagic, some BABA, and even a ghost. Thorough investigation finds a series of diary written assumedly by Lalit, the youngest son, and main perpetrator in death of 10 of his family members. The diaries were written from 2007, a year after Lalit’s father passed away. These diaries reveal how Lalit believed that his father’s spirit could communicate through him and dictates the daily household tasks & behaviour of family members.
On the last page of the diary, it is documented that Lalit will guide all the family members to form a circle, tie their hands, mouth and cover their eyes, and hang all of them at once. Place a water bowl at the entrance and when water color changes, I (Bhopal Singh, Lalit’s father) will come and rescue all of them for a better life. All the writings in the 11 diaries were of authoritative tone and were written possibly when Lalit used to hear the voices of his father after evening prayer at their home. This family ritual was kept a secret for 11 years.
Psychological Autopsy:
Psychological Autopsy is the most important tool in the research of completed suicide. It is done by collecting information about the person from family and relatives, health-care records, psychiatric records. A Psychological Autopsy often reveals motives, actions & any co-morbid mental conditions of the person. This Psychological Autopsy is a thorough understanding of the PSYCHE of the deceased person.
List of findings of Psychological Autopsy in Burari deaths:
A psychological Autopsy was performed on Lalit who initiated and completed the mass suicide process to which others nodded. It was found that Lalit was suffering from untreated PTSD, Psychosis, and Delusional Disorder. This psychosis was shared by other family members called “shared psychosis“.
List of events triggering PTSD in Lalit:
- In 1988, Lalit met with a gruesome bike accident during which he suffered major head injuries and was on coma for few days.
- After the family moved to Delhi, Lalit statrted working at a Wood workshop where an altercation lead to others beating lalit, locking him in a room and setting it on fire. He called his brother for rescue and fell unconcious. After this incident Lalit did not speak for 4 years. Psychiatric professionals belive it was selective mutism. He regained his voice after his father chanted mantras for a whole year. Which posiibly lead hin and others beleieve in supernatural powers of his father.
After the death of his father, Lalit presumably started hearing voices and writing them down or have asked other members to note them down in the diary whatever the voice dictates. This continued for 11 long years without anyone from neighborhood or relatives having a small hint about it. 11 years are very long for anyone to keep such a bizarre family secret. Why did the adolescents did not tell it to their friends? why did women in the family did not share it with their families? And most importantly Tina, Lalit’s wife didn’t utter a word with her brothers or mother for 11 long years.
Psychological findings:
1. Post traumatic stress disorder:
PTSD is the response a person gives to the stress caused by any traumatic event. This response is often self-loathing, self harmful. A person may have behavioral changes as mood disorders, detachment, depression. As happend to Lalit after the fire incident. Did he really lose his voice or was it selective mutism after a deep untreated psychological trauma?
2. Delusional Disorder:
Delusional disorder is a serious psychotic disorder where people suffering from it have delusions where they can’t tell what is real from what is imagined (delusion). Delusions have to be understood as a separate category from hallucinations.
- Hallucinations: Seeing, hearing things that are not present. eg: seeing or hearing a dead person.
- Delusions: Responding to these hallucinations by believing that they are real. eg: seeing or hearing a dead person but believing they are not dead and responding to them.
3. Shared psychosis:
Shared psychotic disorder aka Folie a deux is a rare psychotic condition where one or more members share delusions of a person suffering from delusion disorder. These delusions are often imposed by the person on other family members who are close to each other.
The shared psychotic disorder occurs in unique conditions. They often has religious hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, and a dominant submissive relationship.
In conclusion:
Such cases in India are becoming more common every day. We are witnessing mass suicides on the belief in the afterlife/rebirth, killing people on verge of finding treasure. Such cases only project the mass ignorance of mental health under the shadow of superstitious beliefs. It is much easier to read about such cases and pretend it doesn’t happen in our family. Data suggests 41% of the youth suffering from mild to moderate mental conditions like anxiety and depression.
It is high time that we give our highest priority to mental health at the individual to national level.
