'We told him his son was in Jaipur': Gurgaon man dies in ICU unaware Delhi hotel fire killed 8 family members

NEW DELHI: Radheshyam Aggarwal, the 76-year-old man who lost eight of his relatives in the devastating fire in Hauz Rani B&B, has passed away.

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His family had chosen to stay in that B&B to remain close to Aggarwal, who was in a private hospital in Saket with an acute lung infection. He was in the ICU.

As he battled for life, other relatives kept the information of the tragedy from him, fearing the shock would worsen his condition. “The most heartbreaking part is that uncle passed away without knowing that every member of his immediate family had died in the fire,” a relative told TOI.

Among those killed were his wife Premlata (70), son Vivek (47), daughter-in-law Tarjani (42), and granddaughters, Jivisha (20), and Varya (16). Three relatives of Premlata who had come from Kishangarh in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district — Kamla (52), Ashok (56), and Jhaveri — also lost their lives in the blaze.

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Jivisha had flown in from Bengaluru just hours before the fire to be near her ailing grandfather. The rest of the family had temporarily shifted from their Gurgaon home to the B&B so they could be closer to the hospital after being informed of Aggarwal’s deteriorating condition.

“He kept asking for his son in his final days. We told him Vivek had gone to Jaipur and would come to see him soon. Every day, we gave him a new excuse,” the relative said, struggling to hold back tears.

Relatievs said that Aggarwal repeatedly asked about his loved ones. As the days passed without a single visit from his wife, son, daughter-in-law or granddaughters, they sensed he had begun to feel that something was wrong.

“ We could never bring ourselves to tell him the truth. Had he known, it would have shattered him and he might have lost the will to fight for his life,” a relative said. “Maybe if he had seen his son, he could have held on a little longer.”

Aggarwal lost consciousness on Monday and died on Tuesday morning. With his death, the last surviving member of the family is gone.

A total of 22 people were killed in the fire . In a statement on Tuesday, Max Hopsital, Saket, said that “13 patients are currently admitted. Of them, 4 patients, all international, are planned for discharge today. At present, 6 patients are receiving care in the ICU, while 3 patients are in the wards. All admitted patients are clinically stable.” A total of 37 people were injured in the fire, one of who later died.

Police have questioned Jay Mishra, who worked as an accountant for B&B owner Lovkesh Bajaj, on Tuesday. Investigators also sought details about the operations and management of the establishment.

Police sources said Mishra’s statements will be corroborated with those of Bajaj and the chef, both of whom were arrested.