NEW DELHI: Neighbours who lived just across the hall for years were completely unaware of the family’s struggles, prompting a haunting reflection on the hidden lives that can exist even in the most crowded of communities.
Ratan, a resident of the building, said, “The family was very private; Heeralal didn’t talk to anyone. Recently, around 10 pm, I saw Heeralal taking his daughters somewhere in an autorickshaw.Sometimes, he would go to the terrace to check the water tank.” “I came to know about the incident only after police arrived at the scene,” he added.
Rinki, who lived in the adjacent flat, said that the daughters rarely came out of their flat. “Sometimes I heard their voices like there was some argument going on, but they never talked to neighbours,” she said.
The residents were stunned and frightened after five bodies were found on Friday.
The area has around 300 houses in which approximately 2,000 people live, mostly tenants who are all working in different sectors. “The tenants leave early for their work and return late, so they have less chance to know about what is happening in their neighbourhood,” Karambir (66), a resident, said.
At the spot where the incident happened, right outside of the door, some lemons and a red religious thread were found. When inquired, locals said that they were now too scared to even step out of their house, not just because of the foul smell but also because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the family’s death.
Montu (55), a water cans’ distributor in the area, stated that every single house in the building got drinking water delivered to their house except theirs. “I always tried persuading him also, but he would never entertain and would barely even open the door to talk. I always wondered why he would not just get water delivered to his doorstep like many others, especially when his daughters are physically disabled.”
“Not once in the last six years did the man try to make any conversation with me. His elder daughter, however, a year or so ago, would still come downstairs to get groceries, and I would see her. But since her mother passed away, she just stopped coming downstairs at all,” said Dinesh Sharma (34), a barber in the locality.
Pintu, a grocery shop owner, said that Heeralal used to come to his shop often but never utter a word more than about the biscuits or other food items he wanted to buy. “Throughout the years, I made multiple attempts to try and talk to him, but he never seemed interested, and the conversation even shortened after his wife’s death. He even stopped coming to my shop recently and started buying groceries from the market itself,” Pintu said.
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