The mortal remains of 24-year-old Shrutika Barnwal, a Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) student who tragically perished in the Delhi hotel fire, were cremated in her hometown of Bokaro on Thursday. A profound wave of grief engulfed her family and friends as her body arrived from the national capital, reported PTI.
Shrutika was among the 21 victims killed in the devastating blaze that ripped through a bed-and-breakfast facility in South Delhi's Hauz Rani area near Malviya Nagar on Wednesday. In a heartbreaking revelation, family members disclosed that Shrutika was on a phone call with her family when the tragedy unfolded.
Preliminary investigations by the Delhi Fire Service and local police indicate that the fire originated in the kitchen of a ground-floor restaurant operating within the building. The fire quickly spread upwards, trapping occupants, killing 21 people, and injuring others.
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An investigation into the incident has exposed severe regulatory lapses by the facility's owner, Lavkesh Bajaj. Authorities revealed that Bajaj did not possess a licence to run a full-fledged restaurant at the site. Instead, he held only a "tea and snacks outlet" permit, which strictly prohibited on-site cooking or guest seating.
Compounding the negligence, municipal officials confirmed that even this limited snacks licence had expired on 31st March. Bajaj reportedly applied for an online renewal on Wednesday morning, just hours after the fatal fire had already been reported. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) subsequently rejected the renewal request.
As the Barnwal family struggles to cope with the sudden loss, Delhi Police have intensified their investigation into the illegal commercial operations of the high-rise facility.
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