Delhi Hostel Collapse Triggers Student Union Clash; NSUI Points to BJP MLA

At about 10 p.m. on Sunday, a five‑storey boys’ hostel in the Satya Niketan area of South‑West Delhi gave way, sending concrete and brickwork crashing onto the street. The sudden collapse left three students dead and nine pulled to safety, while dozens more were feared trapped beneath the rubble.

Rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force, fire‑brigade units and the Delhi Police swarmed the site within minutes. JCB excavators, a sniffer‑dog squad and volunteers dug through the debris, but officials admitted they still did not know the exact number of people buried.

Amid the frantic rescue work, a tense confrontation erupted. Members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) squared off, shouting accusations and trying to keep each other away from the area. NSUI president Vinod Jakhar, who arrived on the scene within fifteen minutes of the collapse, claimed the building was owned by a local BJP MLA and blamed the delay of police and fire‑services for the loss of life.

“Why is the media being stopped from coming here? Because the building belongs to a BJP MLA,” Jakhar said to reporters, his voice raw with anger. “Students came here to study, not to become victims of corruption.” He added that more than fifty students were believed to be staying in the hostel at the time, many of them from Delhi University.

ABVP leader and Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) president Aryan Maan, on the other hand, stressed that the focus should remain on rescue operations. “We are in constant contact with the teams on the ground,” he told reporters. “The NDRF, fire‑brigade and even the Chief Minister’s office have been mobilised. Our priority is to get every survivor out safely.”

An eyewitness described the structure as a privately‑run boys’ PG called “Hostel Daze”. The five‑storey building had apparently been undergoing illegal work to create a basement, a fact later hinted at by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) vice‑chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal. “It looks like they were digging under the existing foundation,” Chahal said, adding that the council would pursue the strictest action against those responsible.

Families of the victims gathered outside the collapse site, their faces etched with shock and grief. Several injured students were rushed to AIIMS trauma centre for treatment, while rescue workers continued to lift heavy debris, their efforts hampered by a nearby structure that appeared on the verge of giving way as well.

The incident has revived a long‑standing debate over the safety of private hostels and paying‑guest accommodations in Delhi. Student groups demand a thorough inquiry, stricter building‑code enforcement and accountability from elected representatives who own such properties.

As night turns to dawn, the sounds of excavators and shouted instructions still echo through the streets of Satya Niketan. The hope now rests on the rescuers’ skill and the authorities’ willingness to answer the hard questions that this tragedy has laid bare.