Seven people were killed and five injured after the five-storey building, used as a boys’ paying guest accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus, collapsed on Sunday afternoon. Rescue operations continued for about 27 hours before authorities said the search had been completed.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, accused the authorities of failing to ensure safe student housing and called for an investigation into what the party described as a nexus involving paying guest operators, officials and political figures. The allegation has not been independently established.
The party said any investigation should examine the building owner, regulatory approvals, enforcement failures and possible links that allowed unsafe accommodation to operate. It also demanded engineering-grade structural audits of schools, colleges and student housing across Delhi, with enforcement action against buildings found illegal or unsafe.
CJP further sought publication of records relating to 13 district committees constituted after an earlier building-safety episode in Hauz Rani. It asked the government to disclose within 48 hours the number of buildings inspected, those found unsafe or unauthorised, notices issued, properties sealed or demolished and prosecutions initiated.
The party also called for a publicly searchable database identifying buildings that have been inspected and certified structurally safe. It questioned whether Satya Niketan, one of Delhi’s major student accommodation clusters, had been covered by official surveys and, if so, what the inspections had found.
CJP linked the safety concerns to a shortage of university accommodation, saying Delhi University has hostel capacity for only about 7,000 students. It urged authorities to expand public hostel facilities so that students are less dependent on private paying guest properties.
The collapse occurred at about 1.30 pm on Sunday while repair or renovation work was underway in the building. Investigators are examining whether work in the basement, structural alterations and water accumulation contributed to the failure. Authorities have not announced a final cause.
Emergency teams from Delhi Fire Service, the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force and police worked through Sunday night and Monday, using machinery to remove concrete slabs and twisted metal. Authorities evacuated premises as a precaution while rescuers searched the unstable site. Several occupants were pulled out alive and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for assessment and treatment.
Delhi Police registered a case involving culpable homicide and negligence and arrested the building owner, Hariram Gupta, his wife Urmila and their son Mahesh. Investigators said the property was registered in Urmila’s name, the electricity connection was in Hariram’s name and Mahesh was involved in managing the paying guest facility.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi suspended five South Zone officials on Monday pending disciplinary proceedings. Those suspended included Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar, Superintending Engineer Ranvir Singh, Executive Engineer Lalit Kumar Goel, Assistant Engineer Sunil Chauhan and Junior Engineer Ashish Kumar.
The civic body also moved to seal illegal constructions exceeding four floors as scrutiny widened over unauthorised buildings and enforcement in student-dominated neighbourhoods. A magistrate inquiry has been ordered into the Satya Niketan collapse.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the site and injured victims and said structural audits and safety certification would be strengthened for buildings used by the public, including student accommodation. The government has said responsibility will be fixed where negligence is established.
CJP also demanded accountability from Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood over the functioning of the district-level committees and criticised what it described as inadequate rescue equipment and delays in ambulance deployment. Those claims were made by the party and were not supported by publicly released findings on Monday.
