Three residents of Rajasthan died in the devastating fire at Delhi's Flourish Stay Hotel in Malviya Nagar on Wednesday, with families in Ajmer and Kishangarh plunged into grief after a trip undertaken on compassionate grounds turned fatal. The victims were identified as retired UCO Bank manager Javari Lal Agarwal (70), his wife Kamala Agarwal (68), and Kishangarh-based marble trader Ashok Pansari.

Who the victims were

The Agarwal couple, residents of Ajmer, had travelled to Delhi to visit a relative admitted at Max Hospital, and were staying at the hotel along with Ashok Pansari when the blaze broke out. According to family members, the trio had reached the national capital only a day earlier, arriving via Kishangarh on Tuesday evening.

A birthday celebration days before tragedy

The deaths have shaken neighbours and friends in Ajmer, particularly because Kamala Agarwal's birthday had been celebrated with the family on 1 June, just two days before the incident. ‘Javari Lal and Kamala ji were happy and looking forward to meeting their relatives in Delhi. None of us could have imagined that this would be their last journey,' family friend and neighbour Rajendra Prasad said.

Prasad, who retired alongside Javari Lal Agarwal as a manager from UCO Bank in January 2016, said their friendship dated back to 1988. ‘We were more like family than neighbours,' he said. The Agarwals had also been associated with the Lions Club since 2015 and were known for active community involvement.

How the families learned of the deaths

The first news reportedly reached the family through the couple's daughter Deepa Agarwal, who is based in Jaipur and immediately left for Delhi. She initially informed Prasad about her mother's death, with confirmation of her father's death following a few hours later. The couple's son, Sachin Agarwal, a software engineer working with Google in the United States, has also flown back to India after receiving the news.

The third victim from Kishangarh

Ashok Pansari had travelled to Delhi to enquire about the health of his paternal uncle Radheshyam Agarwal, who is undergoing treatment at Max Hospital. According to family members, he was accompanied by relatives and was staying at the same hotel when the fire erupted. He is survived by his wife Saroj Devi, sons Pankaj Goyal and Kapil Goyal, and a married daughter Sangeeta, who lives in Jaipur.

Grief across two cities

As news of the tragedy spread across Ajmer and Kishangarh, residents struggled to come to terms with the loss of three people who had set out for Delhi on a compassionate visit but did not return. Funeral arrangements are expected to follow after the bodies are released from Delhi.