‘Jammu ki dhadkan’ Simran Singh’s death leaves family distraught: ‘She was under work stress, looked sad on video call’

According to police, Simran was found dead in her rented apartment in Gurugram, and her room was locked from the inside. No suicide note was found.

Her mother, Sony Singh, said Simran had been on medication for depression for the last few years.

Jaswinder said the family has not demanded an investigation into her death because they do not believe any foul play was involved. “She had no issues with anyone and never told us about any such thing. What she always spoke about was the work-related pressure that she felt… Therefore, we have not demanded any probe. But we have been told that the police will be investigating her death. Things will become clearer after the postmortem report.”

Rubbishing speculation on social media about her alleged friendship with a YouTuber, Jaswinder said, “Social media makes all kinds of stories. It is wrong reporting, which is why we have avoided speaking to anyone in Jammu – we have not given any statement… These are all speculations.”

The Gurgaon police said they had found no evidence of foul play regarding her death. “She lived in a three-storey building in Sector 47 with five-six friends. One of her friends, who lived on the same floor, was the first to find her in the room and took her to Park Hospital. From there, a call was received about her death,” police said in a statement.

On December 25, Simran, who had over 7,62,000 followers on Instagram, where she described herself as “Jammu ki Dhadkan”, was supposed to return home, Jaswinder said. She had an audition scheduled for a Hindi serial in Mumbai on December 27. “And from January 1, she was supposed to start shooting for a Punjabi movie in Chandigarh… She told me that she would be coming home on December 25 and then tell us her plans for the future,” he said.

Simran’s mother said she made a video call to her parents on December 24, a day before her death. “We spoke for an hour. She looked sad,” Sony Singh said.

“She was articulate and would often discuss her work-related issues with me. She used to write content as well… I have seen her struggling to get the right words… She used to call me every day between 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm… During our conversations, she usually spoke very normally and was like that at home, too. But when she would lose her temper, she got really angry. She could not control her anger,” her mother said.

Jaswinder said Simran started working as a radio jockey with Radio Mirchi at the age of 21. “After a couple of years, she quit in 2022. She was very popular in Jammu, and was known as Jammu Ki Dhadkan,” he said.

“After quitting as RJ, she started freelancing and constantly got different offers, be it for television serials or movies. She also used to make reels – sometimes throughout the night and then sleep during the day,” said Jaswinder.

According to Sony, Simran struggled to choose whether to accept roles in TV serials or wait for film roles. “She got confused because some directors told her that if she acted in serials, they wouldn’t take her in movies,” Sony said.

The family said that on the night of December 24, her friends had organised a party for her as she was planning to go home to Jammu the next day.

“She went to sleep at 6 in the morning, but when her friends did not hear from her by late afternoon, they knocked on the door. When there was no response, they alerted the police,” her mother said.

Simran’s maternal grandfather, Joga Singh, remembered her as a “bubbly” girl from childhood. “She was a chatterbox when she was in school. After she got into college, I could sense that she wanted to achieve something big. She got the RJ’s job and made a name for herself, which was an achievement in itself at such a young age. Our entire family was proud of her,” he said.

Her last rites were performed on Friday afternoon.

A former colleague of hers from the time she worked as a DJ recalled, “She was vibrant and had a different kind of spark in her. She was very dedicated to her work.”

She last posted a reel on Instagram on December 13, writing, “Just a girl with endless giggles and her gown, taking over the beach”. The reel showed her twirling on the beach in a peach gown.

It was her reels on Instagram that shot her into the limelight more than her stint as an RJ, said another former colleague.

She then moved to Chandigarh and subsequently to Gurgaon, where she started working on brand collaborations and interviews with celebrities, the colleague said.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah expressed grief over Simran’s death, extending their condolences to her family, friends, and “countless fans”.