Gurugram patriarch died not knowing Delhi fire killed 8 relatives
What's the story
Radheshyam Aggarwal, the 76-year-old man who lost eight family members in the Malviya Nagar fire, died at Max Hospital, Delhi, on Tuesday after battling an acute lung infection. His family had been staying at a bed-and-breakfast (B&B) near the hospital to be close to him. However, all of them died when a fire broke out at the B&B on June 3. Given his condition, Aggarwal was not told about the tragedy and he kept asking when his son was visiting.
Tragic loss
Victims included Aggarwal's immediate family
Among those killed in the fire were Aggarwal's wife Premlata (70), son Vivek (47), daughter-in-law Tarjani (42), and granddaughters Jivisha (20) and Varya (16). Three other relatives from Rajasthan—Kamla (52), Ashok Goyal (56) and Jhaveri—also died in the blaze. Jivisha had arrived from Bengaluru to visit her ailing grandfather just hours before the tragedy struck.
Concealed truth
Heartbreaking end
As Aggarwal fought for his life in the ICU, his family decided to keep the devastating news of the fire from him, fearing it would worsen his 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," a relative told The Times of India.
Heartbreaking end
How relatives hid truth from him
The relative said that when days passed without a single visit from the family members, he started to suspect something was wrong. But "we could never bring ourselves to tell him the truth," a relative said, adding that they feared revealing the news would shatter Aggarwal's spirit. "The most heartbreaking part is that uncle passed away without knowing that every member of his immediate family had died in the fire," the relative told The Times of India.
Ongoing probe
Fire tragedy updates
He lost consciousness on Monday and died on Tuesday morning, leaving no surviving member of his immediate family. The fire at the Hauz Rani B&B claimed a total of 22 lives and injured 37 others. Max Hospital, Saket, said 13 patients are currently admitted, including six in the ICU and three in wards. A total of 37 people were injured in the fire. One died later, taking the death toll to 22.