Gaanth Chapter 1: Jamnaa Paar on Jio Cinema, directed by Kanishk Varma, is based on the infamous Burari deaths, where 11 family members died under mysterious circumstances. But the show leaves us hanging without a clear answer. Was it a mass suicide? Some bizarre cult ritual? Or a mass murder? The series doesn’t really settle on a conclusion, which can be pretty confusing and makes the thriller aspect fall flat. Instead of diving deep into the mystery of the deaths, the series shifts its focus to the personal lives and struggles of those involved in the investigation. We follow Inspector Gadar Singh (played by Manav Vij), Dr. Shakshi Murmu (Monika Panwar), and SI Satyawati Mittal (Saloni Batra) as they face their own challenges while trying to solve the case. Unfortunately, some scenes feel repetitive and unnecessary, which ultimately slows down the pace. There’s also a Netflix documentary series called House of Secrets which covers the same case but in a more gripping manner, I think. Compared to that, Gaanth felt a bit off, leaving us with more questions than answers by the end. It tries to be grotesque and compelling, but instead, it feels like it missed the mark. But anyway, let’s dive into the story of Gaanth Chapter 1 to find out what actually happened to the Chandel family.
Spoilers Ahead
Why did Gadar Singh think it was a murder case?Â
In the Haqiqat Nagar area of Delhi, there was a shocking discovery: 11 deaths in a single house. Both the police and the media were stunned. Our main investigator, Gadar Singh, was called to solve the case. Gadar was known for having trouble following him everywhere, but he was also known for being good at his job. That’s why the DCP put him in charge of this high-profile case. Gadar was a man who had lost his wife, didn’t have custody of his daughter, and often drowned his sorrows in alcohol. He arrived at the scene in an angry, drunken state. What he saw there was beyond horrifying, and as an audience, you’d feel uneasy watching the death scene unfold. In Dasharath Bhawan, the 11 members of the Chandel family were found hanging from the ceiling, their hands and legs tied, and their mouths gagged. They were hanging above a ritualistic stand, suggesting a mass suicide for some supernatural belief. The scene was heart-wrenching.
Among the dead were Jatin Chandel, his wife Rupali, his elder brother Uday Chandel, and Uday’s wife Navika. Their niece, Pinky, who was about to get married, was also among them. Even their elderly mother, Kaushalya, and Jatin’s young son, Kushagar, were found hanging. But why did this happen? Interestingly, while everyone else’s hands were bound, Jatin’s hands were free. There was an offering on the ritual stand, as if they were paying homage to their own souls before dying. This hinted at a premeditated act, maybe in the belief they would be resurrected. We have seen that earlier, during another ritual, a pigeon had fallen into the fire, causing Jatin to have a seizure. They thought he was going to die, but he survived. Perhaps they were trying something similar to become more powerful. Amid this horror, it was discovered that young Kushagar was still alive. He was rushed to the hospital, where Dr. Shakshi, a psychiatric intern, tried to calm him down. Meanwhile, the media swarmed the place, and the public demanded answers, putting immense pressure on the police. That’s why Gadar Singh formed a team with his trusted colleagues: Inspectors Satyawati Mittal, Yashwant, and Jeevan. They started gathering clues and talking to neighbors. They learned that the Chandel family was very private and rarely interacted with others.
The neighbor who discovered their bodies mentioned that the family had been preparing for a pilgrimage, with bags packed and the fridge full, which indicated one thing: they weren’t planning to commit suicide. After exploring the house further, Gadar found an underground basement filled with plywood and a secret room. There was also a tunnel leading outside. Maybe it suggests that whoever was living there might have escaped from there. And who were they? Jabbar, the caretaker and Haseena, the maid. From the bank statement, it was found out that Jatin had recently given Jabbar a hefty sum of money and told him to leave, which raised suspicions. Also, during Pinky’s engagement party, people overheard Jatin yelling at Jabbar and Haseena to leave. This led Gadar to suspect that, out of greed and anger, Jabbar and Haseena might have killed the family. But they did not! Naturally, Jabbar and Haseena were terrified of being falsely accused. When Inspector Yashwant went to arrest them, Jabbar, in a desperate move, jumped off a train and committed suicide.
What was the CBI’s conclusion to the case?Â
Shocking as it was, Gadar Singh was wrong in his investigation. Remember little Kushagar, who was under Dr. Shakshi’s care in the hospital? When she came to check on him, she found Kushagar dead. He had been killed by an air bubble injected into his lung, causing cardiac arrest. Dr. Shakshi saw someone in black clothing flee the scene. She chased after that person and met Gadar Singh in the street, just as the person was about to shoot him. They both managed to save themselves, but the perpetrator escaped. It became clear that someone was tampering with evidence and threatening Gadar and Shakshi to stop them from finding the truth. In the meantime, Gadar got suspended, and the case was handed over to the CBI. Their investigation led to a completely different conclusion: it was not murder but a joint suicide, some sort of cult ritual. The cult leader? None other than Jatin Chandel, the head of the family. Why did they come to this conclusion? Actually, diary entries revealed that the Chandel family lived an isolated life, sharing one bank account, one gas cylinder, and one phone. They interacted with the outside world only when necessary and obeyed Jatin without question. Jatin had convinced them to follow his father’s religious path, even pretending to channel his father’s spirit to command the family. After Jatin’s near-death and “resurrection,” his influence over the family grew stronger, which ultimately led to the ritualistic suicide. But one question remained: if it was a suicide, how were all the family members’ hands and legs tied? It needed someone else to do it, right? Remember how Jatin’s hands were free? It seemed likely that Jatin first bound and killed his family members before taking his own life.
But, as I told you earlier, Gaanth Chapter 1 ended with more questions than answers. We didn’t get a perfect conclusion to the case. On top of that, there were mutilated bodies and heads found everywhere. Gadar Singh, while hiding and continuing his investigation with Dr. Shakshi’s help, was suspected of being involved in these killings. I found this allegation pretty baseless. Have I told you that there was another one who got killed in that mass murder on the same day? Their dog, Rambo. From his grave, they found a paper wasp, which usually stays in wood. Does that mean the killer used the plywood Jatin had in the basement to kill the dog? But one thing was clear: both Jabbar and Haseena were innocent. Haseena, suffering from vitiligo, was living in the basement because the sun irritated her skin.
The mysterious seven pipes outside the house that we have seen were for ventilation purposes since the basement had no windows. But we saw at the end of the series that chaos erupted in Haqiqat Nagar with riots, and the Chandel family’s house was set on fire. Was this an act of revenge? Maybe it was due to old rivalries the family had with others or some superstitions. I think there might be an old rivalry involved since Jatin’s father moved to Haqiqat Nagar in 1990 from Hameeron Ki Basti Village in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Perhaps this old rivalry forced the family to move to Delhi and start living very privately. Maybe they only had one bank account and were told not to talk to anyone to avoid being traced back to their past. Also, there was a chance that after their deaths, the case became famous, and maybe that’s why the old rivals came to burn down their house. So, the so-called superstitious or ritualistic suicide might actually be part of a massive plot linked to old wrongdoings. This adds another layer of mystery to whether it was really suicide or murder.
The most shocking cliffhanger was the discovery that someone visited Jatin and his family on the night of their deaths. Who was it? SI Satyawati Mittal, who was supposed to be helping solve the case, What was her motive? Honestly, I have no idea. She was working closely with Gadar Singh, pretending to be his ally. Why did she visit the Chandels that night? Did she kill them, or was she there to warn them of impending danger? Did she kill Kushagar and the other mutilated bodies as well? We don’t know yet. Gaanth Chapter 1 failed to provide a proper conclusion to the Chandel family case or the other murders. Maybe we’ll find all the answers in the next chapter.
