Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday spoke to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta about the Satya Niketan building collapse, which left three students dead and several others trapped under the debris. As per the shared tweet, he deliberated on the rescue operation and relief efforts undertaken in this regard.
“Deeply saddened by the news of the private building collapse in Satya Niketan, near Delhi University’s South Campus. I have spoken to Delhi Chief Minister Smt. @gupta_rekha ji, who is personally monitoring and has assured me that all necessary rescue and relief measures are being undertaken expeditiously,” Joshi wrote on X.
“Praying for the safety of everyone who is trapped and wishing a speedy recovery for those who have been injured,” he added.
An around 50-year-old, five-storey building housing a boys’ hostel in a narrow, crowded bylane in Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus collapsed on Sunday afternoon, resulting in three deaths and leaving many others trapped.
According to the police, as many as eight people have been recovered from the debris so far. Of them, one was brought dead to the hospital, another died during treatment, five are serious, and one rescuer who sustained injuries has been discharged.
Locals said that the majority of students residing there were from Kerala, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and were enrolled mainly at Motilal Nehru College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College, and Sri Venkateswara College of the University of Delhi.
CJP Seeks Accountability, Safety Audit from Government
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke has demanded accountability and a safety review of all paying guest (PG) hostels in Delhi after a five-storey hostel building collapsed in the city’s Satya Niketan area.
As reported by PTI, he denounced the government’s priorities regarding educational infrastructure, saying that students were being coerced to stay in hazardous conditions, even as political structures received adequate attention and resources.
Dipke, in a post on X, questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over students’ safety, noting that the PM visited Delhi University a day earlier and used the term “dimagi naxal” in his political speech, but didn’t pay heed to the condition of the educational infrastructure.
ABVP Stages Protest Against Building Collapse
Meanwhile, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the right-wing student organisation, staged a demonstration at the Civic Centre on Sunday against the building collapse incident in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan.
As reported by PTI, around 150-200 ABVP students entered the Civic Centre through Gate No. 5 and staged a dharna outside the main building, raising slogans and protesting against the functioning of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
“During the protest, some demonstrators attempted to forcibly enter the main Civic Centre building, following which jostling broke out between the protesters and police personnel,” a senior police officer said.