Burari deaths: Handwritten notes detail process of 'attaining salvation'

The handwritten notes found at a north Delhi home where 11 members of a family died under mysterious circumstances detailed a set of rituals a person needed to follow to attain "salvation", a police official said today.

The notes were found in two registers and stated the rituals should be performed either on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday.

"The notes said that on the day of performing the ritual, one won't cook food at home and the phones will be kept on silent mode for six hours. The notes also instructed that one person had to stand guard to ensure that others have hanged themselves," said the official privy to the investigation.

They detailed how by following the rituals, one would not actually die "but would be saved by God and attain something great". They had instructions on how an elderly person, who has problems in climbing a stool, can perform the rituals.

The 11 people aged between 15 and 77 were found hanging from an iron-mesh in the ceiling of their home in Burari area yesterday. The deceased had their mouth taped and their faces covered with cloth pieces cut from a single bed-sheet.

Except for the 77-year-old woman, the other 10 people were found hanging from the iron-mesh in the ceiling.

Police are probing whether the family followed any godman, who might have issued the instructions detailed in the notes.

The notes had stated that "the human body is temporary and one can overcome fear by covering their eyes and mouth."