'30 mins away from checkout': TISS graduate dies in Malviya Nagar hotel fire while on first job assignment

MUMBAI: Shrutika Baranwal was 30 minutes away from checking out of the bed and breakfast in Delhi's Hauz Rani when the fire broke out, killing her and 20 others. A recent graduate from Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, Baranwal had landed a job and was in the capital for a work-related meeting. She had checked into Flourish Stay Bed and Breakfast for a night, institute sources said.

Shrutika (25) had got her first salary just the day before and was happy to share the news with her father. On Wednesday, she did a video call with her brother around 8.15 am, said the dean of the school of habitat studies, professor Geetanjoy Sahu.

Shrutika, from Bokaro in Jharkhand, graduated a month ago. Her LinkedIn profile says she worked on household surveys, water supply assessments and groundwater-related studies.

“She was close to her father and wanted to make him proud," Rishi Chaturvedi, a friend and classmate, said. Institute officials said Shrutika was hired as a business development executive at the Rubber Chemical and Polymer Skill Development Council.

The institute held a condolence meeting on Thursday, where students and faculty remembered her as a bright and enthusiastic student full of dreams and plans. "We got the news on Wednesday and asked our students in Delhi and alumni to reach the hospital. Her father and brother arrived on Wednesday night. They took her body back to Jharkhand on Thursday morning," said professor Sahu.

Family members broke down as Shrutika's body reached her residence. Neighbours, friends and well-wishers gathered to offer condolences.
“Shrutika was speaking to a friend on her phone when there was panic in the hotel. The friend later told her brother (Shubham Baranwal), that Shrutika suddenly started screaming for help during the conversation. Moments later, the call got disconnected,” said Ashish Kumar Bharti.

Alarmed by the information, Shubham tried calling his sister, but there was no response. As panic gripped the family, Shrutika’s father, Ramesh Prasad Baranwal, got in touch with relatives in Delhi and urged them to rush to the hotel. While Ramesh was preparing to board a flight to Delhi, relatives told him that she was no more.

Mother Babita Devi broke down repeatedly on Thursday. Shrutika had called her at 7 am on Wednesday. “She told me she was happy with the work. I never thought those would be the last words.” she said.