Saket building collapse: Her small canteen, a modest single-storey eatery with a tin roof next to the building that came down, had become a second home for hundreds of students and office-goers. For many students living away from home, it was more than a place to eat. Relatives and regulars said a full meal there cost Rs 70, and the canteen was known as much for its affordable parathas and cold coffee as for her care and warmth.

However, on Saturday everything changed.

Beloved ‘Parvati Aunty’, who ran ‘Aunty Wala Kitchen’, lost her life because she went back inside to help students when the multi-storey building collapsed in the Saidulajab area near Saket metro station in Mehrauli. Six people were killed in the incident, and residents said her death left the neighbourhood in mourning.

Parvati Ojha, 50, originally from Nepal, had been living in Delhi for several years with her family. She opened the eatery about a year ago for students living as paying guests and tenants in the area. Over time, she became a familiar presence for regulars, greeting people by name, listening to them and making sure they ate well.

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Accounts from the spot said around 10 to 13 people were inside the canteen when the adjacent building began to collapse. The debris fell onto the eatery and trapped several people under the rubble. While four or five people were rescued soon after the incident, Parvati and others remained buried. Hari Prasad Ojha, a relative who worked with her in the kitchen, said the final order being prepared was for 12 aloo parathas and four cold coffees. 

He said that Parvati wanted to save the students, and went back to call them out but never returned. 

Another woman said she left the canteen when the building collapsed. She added that Parvati and other staff members came out but went back in, hoping to save some trapped students.

Often seen as a matronly figure, students told the media that Parvati managed to keep the stall running even when LPG cylinders were difficult to procure. They fondly remember her for never refusing a student a meal even if they were unable to pay. 

As rescuers and excavators worked through the debris, Parvati’s daughter Neelam and other relatives waited at the site. Emergency teams, including personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, carried out an overnight search-and-rescue operation that lasted about 16 hours. Parvati was eventually pulled out of the rubble and rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where doctors declared her dead. 

Local residents said that throughout the rescue effort, people kept asking whether ‘Parvati Aunty’ had been found. Many students later gathered at the trauma centre, unwilling to leave the woman they had come to regard as family.
 

Published on: Jun 1, 2026 4:10 PM IST