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Karni Sena’s Vishwa Rathore claims he is related to one of the women found dead, says will unite entire country to get justice for the Bhatia family.

New Delhi: The Shri Rajput Karni Sena of Padmavaat fame made an appearance Monday in the Burari mass suicide-murder mystery that is unfolding in Delhi’s northern suburbs.

Its leader, Vishwa Bandu Singh Rathore, a state general secretary of the outfit, claimed familial ties with the Bhatia family, whose 11 members were found hanging in their home Sunday, and demanded a CBI inquiry.

Rathore said the Karni Sena will unite the entire country, if needed, to get justice for the Bhatia family.

“Do not forget, this is the same Karni Sena which fought for Padmavati,” he added.

The Rajasthan-based caste organisation, which was in the headlines last year for violent protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat, also alleged foul play and refused to accept the Burari episode as a mass suicide.

The bodies of three generations of the Bhatia family were discovered by a neighbour early Sunday when the door was left unlocked. Ten members of the family were found hanging from the ceiling with their hands tied at the back, and eyes and mouth gagged. The body of the oldest member of the family, Narayan (77), was discovered in an adjacent room with signs of strangling.

The others were identified as Pratibha (Narayan’s daughter, 57), her two sons Bhavnesh (50) and Lalit Bhatia (45), Bhavnesh’s wife Savita (48) and their three children — Meenu (23), Nidhi (25) and Dhruv (15). Lalit Bhatia’s wife Tina (42) and their 15-year-old son Shivam were also found dead, along with Pratibha’s daughter Priyanka (33), who got engaged last month.

According to Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (crime), post-mortems of all eleven bodies have already been completed. “Doctors have not found any evidence of struggle or any bruises,” he told ThePrint.

Rathore, who claimed that Tina Bhatia was his paternal aunt, has alleged that the Delhi Police is trying to shirk its responsibilities. Apart from a CBI inquiry, he also demanded a separate medical investigation.

Surrounded by reporters at the Bhatias’ house, Rathore said justice will be served. The family members looked particularly disturbed during the entire ordeal.

Along with Rathore, Karni Sena president Mahipal Singh Makrana too dismissed theories of suicide. “A Rajput family would never do such a disgusting act,” Makrana said. “If this was a suicide, why were the victims’ feet almost touching the ground?” he asked.

Makrana slammed the government for trying to belittle the religious nature of the family by associating their devotion with occult worship.

Relatives can’t confirm relation

Arjun Thukral, whose wife was Narayan’s niece, confirmed that Tina was a Rajput. However, he said he had no idea if she was related to Rathore. “We never saw him at Priyanka’s engagement either,” he said.

Devesh Singh, a neighbour of the family for the last 17 years, said Karni Sena was unnecessarily politicising the issue.

“I can’t believe they would do such a thing. We haven’t seen him once in the last 17 years. Where did this sudden relationship come from? They are just seeking attention. We wish they would leave us alone and let us cremate the bodies in peace,” he told ThePrint.

Other family friends and relatives also dismissed the notion of occult worship or mystical activities being connected to the episode in any way, claiming it all to be wrong portrayal on the media’s side.

The curious case of the 11 pipes

Eleven pipes have been found at the side of the Bhatia residence. Conspiracy theories abound about the number of pipes being the same as the members of late family.

“We also wondered why 11 pipes were exiting the building. But Lalit said it was because cutting the plywood generated fumes. He claimed they were for ventilation. Now the police say they are blocked from the inside,” Singh told ThePrint. “We still can’t figure out what exactly happened here,” he added.

When asked about the pipes, Kumar said the media is highlighting this issue. “How is the case of pipes relevant to investigation? The bodies were hanging by the beams in the ceiling. It seems like a coincidence.”

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