TISS postgraduate Shrutika Baranwal dies in Delhi fire tragedy, chilling screams heard in last call

THe scary screams of Shrutika Baranwal, a 25-year-old postgraduate from the Tata bring of societal Sciences (TISS) in bombay, were heard by her batchmate in the endure call she made before dying in the Delhi hotel fire, along with 20 others, on Wednesday.Shrutika had secured a job in Maharashtra's Mumbai through campus placement even before formally receiving her Master's degree in Water Policy and Governance at the convocation ceremony.Recently hired by the Rubber, Chemical & Polymer Skill Development Council, Shrutika had travelled to Delhi to complete induction formalities before returning to Mumbai to begin her professional journey in the office there.Shrutika was among the 21 people killed on Wednesday in the massive fire that tore through a BnB facility in Hauz Rani area of south Delhi's Malviya Nagar. Unlike many of the victims who were staying there for medical treatment or accompanying relatives admitted to nearby hospitals, she had checked in for work. When the fire broke out, Shrutika was reportedly speaking on the phone with her friend and batchmate Aman Singh."I cannot forget those screams. I lost contact with her. When I was unable to reconnect the call, I spoke to a friend who knew where she stayed in Delhi and we contacted the police. Within a few minutes, they called and informed us about the fire," Indian Express quoted Singh as saying.Aman and Shrutika's friends informed her family and cousins living in Delhi.Shrutika was a dedicated and academically driven student whose commitment to addressing critical water governance challenges had earned her widespread appreciation, her professor Pranjal Deekshit told HT.“She was full of life and I had last met her in the first week of May. She had completed her dissertation on groundwater issues in Dhanbad, something which is not discussed in the public domain. She was a dedicated student, and it is unfortunate that just as she was set to begin a new phase in her life, she lost her life,” an earlier HT report quoted Deekshit as saying.A young girl's Delhi trip ends in tragedyComing from a middle-class family in Jharkhand's Bokaro, Shrutika had joined TISS with hopes of securing a stable and meaningful career, her friends recalled. They said she was thrilled after landing the placement.Ritika Agrawal (25), who shared a room with Shrutika for a year during college, remembered her as cheerful and easy-going."Even if she would go wrong, she would take it sportingly. She was a safe space and a great listener… She was visiting Delhi for office work," the IE report quoted her as saying.Eklavya Prasad, managing trustee of Megh Pyne Abhiyan, an organisation working in the sector in Dhanbad, had mentored Shrutika during her dissertation work."Her work and involvement in the field work were really commendable. She was not working to tick boxes, but with complete interest and purpose, wanting to bring about a change, and with a spark we require in the social sector," Prasad said.TISS, condoling Baranwal's death, said in a post on X her presence, aspirations and contributions will remain a cherished part of the institution. “She will be remembered with affection, respect and gratitude by all who had the privilege of knowing her,” TISS said.