Burari hangings: Crime Branch suspects Lalit visited cremation grounds
New Delhi, July 6: The Delhi Police Crime Branch investigating the June 30 hanging of 11 members of a Burari family here suspects that one of the deceased, Lalit Bhatia, visited cremation grounds and was interested in ghosts and spirits, an official said on Friday.
The theory was based on an entry in the registers seized from the house in Sant Nagar in north Delhi. Police has said the handwriting is of Lalit's now-dead niece Priyanka.
The Crime Branch official said Priyanka had 'liked' a Facebook page hosting content on ghosts as well as pages with spiritual content, astrology and motivational thoughts.
He said Lalit researched death and the mysteries of soul, apart from watching on his mobile phone the videos on paranormal and ghosts on 'YouTube' and other Internet platforms.
A Crime Branch team has also visited Rajasthan's Udaipur to quiz the family of Lalit's wife Tina, who was among the 11 family members found hanging on June 30.
"We wanted to know if Tina had shared something about Lalit or the activities of her in-laws with her family. It will help us analyse the nature of Lalit and other dead family members," a senior official said on the condition of anonymity.
Besides, the Crime Branch recorded the statement of 13 relatives who stayed at the Sant Nagar house for 10 days from June 14 onwards due to engagement of Priyanka that was held on June 16. After they returned to their respective homes, Lalit had started the ritual from June 24 that finally ended with the hanging of 11 family members, police claims.
"These relatives can reveal what they felt while staying with the family, especially Lalit's behaviour in these 10 days," the officer said.
The Crime Branch has given a clean chit to occultist Geeta Ma who was in touch with the family, even a section of media had claimed her involvement, Deputy Commissioner of Police Joy N. Tirkey said.
Investigators are convinced that it was a case of mass suicide during a ritual performed by the family which was suffering from a shared psychological disorder.
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B'luru: "Least priority, shifted late," says brother of patient who died in Ramaiah hospital fire
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Bengaluru: Hours after a fire broke out at the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of the MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital on New BEL Road on Thursday, a 34-year-old patient, Sujay Sujathan Panicker, tragically passed away. His family has accused the hospital authorities of negligence, which they claim led to his death.
The fire at Ramaiah Memorial Hospital is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. Initial reports suggested that there were no casualties in the incident.
Sujay, originally from Kollam in Kerala, had been residing in Bengaluru with his family since 2004. He was undergoing treatment for pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and H1N1 since September 1 at the hospital.
Sujay's wife and father released a video accusing the hospital of negligence. In the video, his wife, Rohini Jayan, alleged that the hospital authorities took no action against those responsible for the fire.
Sujay’s brother, Sujin Sujathan Panicker, speaking to Vartha Bharathi, detailed the family’s ordeal. He said that despite his sister-in-law requesting assistance during the chaos, the hospital staff pushed her away, assuring her that all patients had been safely evacuated to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). However, Sujin claims that his sister-in-law did not see Sujay being shifted.
He further stated, “Sometime later, when a doctor arrived, she (Rohini) inquired about Sujay. It was only after the doctor questioned the staff that they rushed to evacuate him.”
Sujin added that by the time his brother was evacuated, 50 minutes had already passed since the fire broke out. "He was still inside, while all the other patients were taken out first. He was admitted to the hospital with a respiratory illness, yet he was given the least priority during the chaos. He was the last one to be evacuated."
He also claimed that Rohini had already noticed that Sujay’s condition had deteriorated and believed he had passed away, though the hospital authorities did not officially declare his death.
Sujin further stated that the hospital authorities called him and his father to the board room at the 8th floor of the hospital, where senior executives and doctors who had treated Sujay were present “During the interaction they (hospital authorities) claimed that Sujay was still alive and that his condition had worsened amid the smoke and that his chances of survival were less, which was not true.”
"Despite staff being present to evacuate my brother, they remained negligent. The fire broke out at 1:00 p.m., so why did it take 50 minutes to get him out? He was in a corner bed in the CCU, and it seemed they either overlooked the room or ignored it. Even after repeated requests, it took them 50 minutes to evacuate him," Sujin added.
Sujin also expressed concerns that the hospital authorities might attempt to influence the investigation. "They can influence anyone—any hospital, any report."
At the time of the interview, Sujin stated that neither anyone from the government nor from the health department had contacted the family.
A complaint has been filed in connection with the incident at the Sadashivanagar police station. "The statements of the family members have been recorded, and an investigation into the matter is underway. An FIR has been lodged under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Section 106 (causing death due to negligence)," said Sadashivanagar police station Sub-Inspector.
Meanwhile, officials from Ramaiah Memorial Hospital were unavailable for comment.
