Ahead of wedding in Bhatia family, tragedy strikes

New Delhi: All the shops and houses on street number one in north Delhi's Burari area on Sunday were closed, as an expression of grief by the residents over the death of 11 members of the Bhatia family, which resided in the area.

Almost all residents in the area are in shock, and many stated that the Bhatia family was very humble and always ready to help others in need.

Amreek Singh, a neighbour of the family, stated that in the modern time very few families are found living together. "But the Bhatia family was completely different. They were setting an example that even in the fast moving world, people can live happily in a joint family."

On June 17, the now deceased Priyanka had her engagement, for her wedding scheduled to take place by the end of this year.

The family's happiness was showing in the locality and all the members were busy for the wedding. Their house was also being renovated.

Priyanka's cousin Ketan Nagpal recalled how she was discussing preparing for her nuptials on Saturday night.

"She was talking about shopping for her wedding last night around 11. She did not sound like she was depressed or that she was about to kill herself. We were all looking forward to her wedding. But now, everything is over," he said, heartbroken.

Every morning, around 6 am, the grocery shop owned by Bhavnesh and Lalit Bhatia would open its shutters. Before beginning the day's business, there would be many people waiting in front of the shop to buy things.

"For the last one year, I have been buying milk and other groceries from here, and every day I saw the uncle opening the shop around 6 am. They were never late, but today it was closed and I went back home, only to find this sad news," said Ashish, a resident of Sant Nagar.

According to the residents, they had never seen family in tension and there was never any dispute amongst them or with other residents in the area.

Other members of the Bhatia in the area foul play in the incident.

"When I got a phone about the incident, I was shocked because I know they will not commit suicide. It should be investigated," said a relative, who remained anonymous.