Rekha Gupta Orders Strict FIR Against PG Owner Following Fatal Delhi Collapse

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered a case against the owner of a building that collapsed in the Satya Niketan area on Sunday, as the death toll in the incident climbed to six by Monday, with search and rescue operations continuing through the night to clear heavy debris. The structure, which was functioning as a boys' paying guest (PG) accommodation housing several students, came down amid ongoing renovation and excavation work at the site, according to officials and the chief minister's own account of the incident. Gupta reached the site soon after being informed of the collapse and reviewed the ongoing rescue and relief operations alongside senior officials, according to the Delhi Chief Minister's Office. She directed all agencies involved to make every possible effort to safely evacuate those still trapped and to ensure there was no lapse in the emergency response.

Briefing reporters at the scene, the chief minister explained that the building was relatively old and that construction and renovation work was underway at the time of the collapse. During that work, she said, a pillar shifted due to excavation being carried out on the property, a structural failure that ultimately brought the building down. Gupta later travelled to the AIIMS Trauma Centre to check on the condition of injured students and other victims, meeting with doctors to seek updates on their treatment and prognosis. In the immediate aftermath, nine people were pulled from the rubble alive, while rescue teams worked through the debris searching for others feared trapped. One additional body was recovered during late-night search efforts, raising the confirmed death toll to six as of Monday morning, according to news agency reports citing officials at the scene.

Of those brought to hospitals, several were taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre and others to Safdarjung Hospital, with authorities cautioning that the full number of casualties may not be confirmed until debris-clearing operations are complete. Multiple government agencies remained deployed at the site, including the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) and Civil Defence, all working in coordination to clear the wreckage. As a precautionary measure, a neighboring building was also evacuated over concerns it could be structurally compromised. Throughout the day, Gupta remained in contact with the regional district magistrate, Delhi Police and NDRF officials for regular updates on the rescue effort.

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She also held telephonic conversations with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Health Minister JP Nadda, both of whom assured the Delhi government of full assistance from the central government, and later spoke with Bharatiya Janata Party national president Nitin Nabin. Locally, Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj and RK Puram legislator Anil Sharma also visited the site to take stock of the situation. Delhi Police said a First Information Report (FIR) would be registered in connection with the collapse, and the chief minister said the case against the building's owner would be pursued alongside a broader inquiry into who else might bear responsibility, whether officials or private individuals. "Whoever is responsible for this, whether it is the building owner or an official, will not be spared," Gupta said at the site.

The collapse has drawn renewed attention to the safety of buildings used as informal student housing in Delhi, particularly in neighborhoods surrounding university campuses such as Delhi University's South Campus, where Satya Niketan is located. The area has a history of similar incidents, including earlier building collapses tied to unauthorized renovation and excavation work in aging structures. Critics, including student organizations at the scene, have raised questions about the adequacy of the emergency response and the enforcement of construction and fire-safety norms in densely populated parts of the capital. Authorities said the investigation into Sunday's collapse would examine whether required permits were obtained for the renovation work and whether safety protocols were followed, even as rescue crews continued sifting through the wreckage in search of anyone who might still be unaccounted for.

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