Video Editors: Anthony Rozario & Vishal Kumar
Gurcharan Singh had known the Chundawat family for over a decade. The windows and balconies of his two-storeyed house in Burari’s Sant Nagar faced the Chundawat residence, that was painted a light brown and separated from his by a narrow lane.
On 1 July 2018, when the Chundawats didn’t open either of their shops, Singh grew anxious. Having found the main door of the Chundawat residence unlocked, Singh walked upstairs to reach the first floor.
Singh was the first person to see the grisly sight that would soon become national news – 10 bodies, strung up from the ceiling, and an elderly woman dead in another room.
As though the shock of that wasn’t enough, Singh was stunned again when a newspaper report claimed he was so scared of ghosts lurking after the deaths that he had left for Haridwar. But Singh says he had been at home the whole time.
Ask Singh’s son Amrik who is responsible for the rumours about ghosts lurking in Sant Nagar’s lane number 2, and he gets agitated. “The media,” he says in a huff.
TV Report or Horror Show?
For those in the national capital, Burari has always made it to the news for some crime or the other. But this time, the mystery of 11 deaths in Sant Nagar ensured that media reports and TV news bulletins offered consistent sensationalism.
Horror shows masquerading as news bulletins dominated television screens and rattled everyone who watched. Sansani, a notoriously sensational segment on ABP News, ‘reconstructed’ the entire suicide, allegedly on the basis of notes recovered from the Chundawat residence.
Not just ABP News, but others too pandered to superstition, ghosts and the involvement of tantriks in their bid to grab more eyeballs on prime time. The sensationalism that ensued painted a frightening picture of the colony in the minds of those who had only heard of the incident on the news.
Residents Troubled by ‘Media Masala’
Troubled by reports of a ‘haunted Burari,’ the residents of Sant Nagar have been ignoring and avoiding mediapersons. One lady The Quint was about to approach slipped into her house and locked the gate even before she could be spoken to. A temple priest was approached as well, but he too walked purposefully away before any interaction could begin.
While others decided to boycott a rumour-mongering media, Ramvati chose to say something. Among the many journalists who quizzed her, one in particular angered her the most. “They asked me how washed clothes were found on the terrace of the Chundawat family, speculating that maybe their ghosts came back and washed them. When we didn’t see any such thing, how did they?” she fumes.
After the incident came to light, rumours of ghosts lurking and residents selling their houses in Burari came to the fore. This too, residents feel, was fueled by media speculation. “We’ve been staying here and no one’s sold their houses after the incident,” says Vimla Soni. This, she adds, “is the media’s doing.”
Who’s Scared? Not Us: Burari Residents
Some TV reporters went about asking children if they were scared. Some children, after prodding by reporters, conceded that were scared. But Sudha, who lives in an adjoining lane, say these were children from areas a little further away from the Chundawat house.
When asked about rumours of strange voices coming from the house, Amrik Singh says, “I have been here since the incident and haven’t heard anything. If I had, I probably would have recognised the voices, since I knew the family!”
But ask teenagers if they are scared of “strange voices and ghosts lurking around,” and “no” comes the reply. Cycling past the Chundawat family’s residence, Krish and his friends show no sign of fear. When asked about the scary rumours, Krish quickly says, “What had to happen, has already happened.” His friend adds, “These are ancient ideas and we are not scared at all.”
If teenagers can be so discerning of rumours about the supernatural, what is stopping TV channels?
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