If you thought the Burari family deaths was a first-of-its-kind episode, then you thought wrong.
In 2013, a family of eight in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur, filmed themselves eating cyanide-laced sweets, all in the quest to "attain salvation" and "meet Lord Shiva."
The family was heavily influenced by the patriarch, 45-year-old Kanchan Singh, who was a firm believer in superstition and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva.
In the video, Singh is seen sitting with his three children, wife, mother, brother and niece, laughing and talking about meeting Lord Shiva, where he says that they will all eat the poisoned sweets together.
According to a Times of India report dated 29 March 2013, the family had decided to perform a ritual, bathing the idol of Lord Shiva in their blood, in order to appease the deity.
The family appeared to strongly believe that there was no point in living if they couldn't see their God in his physical form.
In fact, a video accessed by India Today from the fateful night, shows Singh questioning one of the children on why she wants to die, to which she replies:
There is no point in living if I can’t see my God.
In the video, Singh is also seen saying that many might believe that what he was doing was wrong, but he was "only doing so for his family's benefit."
The video also shows the family sitting together and eating the cyanide-laced sweets.
Soon after consuming the sweets, five people, including the three children, fell dead. The police was informed of the incident after the Singh's niece reportedly gained consciousness late in the night and saw her family lying around her. She then rushed to call the neighbours, who ultimately called the police.
According to the TOI report, Singh's niece, mother and brother survived the ordeal.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)