The over 27-hour rescue operation in Delhi's Satya Niketan area concluded on Monday evening, with officials declaring that the building collapse incident left seven people dead and five others injured. The rescue operation concluded around 5.10 pm, as all units withdrew from the site.
The incident forced the authorities and the government to swing into action, with the Delhi Police arresting 81-year-old Hariram, the PG owner and a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) sergeant. Along with him, his 75-year-old wife Urmila and 52-year-old son Mahesh were also arrested.
The trio was booked on several charges, including culpable homicide, negligence in the upkeep of a structure and endangering the safety of others. While Hariram and his wife were sent to 14-day judicial custody, his son was sent to two-day police custody.
"Hariram and his son were allegedly running the PG, while Urmila was the owner of the property. Following the arrests, teams are questioning the three to ascertain the cause of the collapse and fix responsibility for the incident," the police said.
All five-storey structures to be sealed
With the incident causing a massive row across the capital, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has directed that all five-storey structures will be sealed. She visited the site again earlier in the day and reiterated that the guilty will not be spared, as the matter is being taken with 'utmost seriousness' by her government.
"Immediate sealing of buildings with unauthorised fifth floors has been ordered across Delhi. Nearby PGs and buildings are also being thoroughly inspected. Strict action, including sealing, will be taken against violations," she said on X (formerly Twitter).
5 MCD officials suspended
Additionally, five officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have also been suspended. They are Superintending Engineer Ranvir Singh, Executive Engineer (Building) Lalit Kumar Goel, Assistant Engineer (Building) Sunil Chauhan and Junior Engineer (Building) Ashish Kumar, all from the South Zone.
These officials were suspended under the DMC Services (Control and Appeal) Regulations, 1959. However, they will be entitled to subsistence allowance as admissible under the rules.
LG directs inspection of PG hubs
Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu chaired a high-level meeting with Gupta, Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood and other senior officials, where he directed an inspection of PG hubs across the city-state, especially in houses that have prima facie violated height and floor restrictions. He said the audits must be completed within a week.
"Committees of DM, DCP and DC (MCD) will proactively reach out to students living in PG accommodations and listen to their problems and grievances; comprehensive database of students to be compiled," the Lok Niwas said. "Directed the urban development minister to lead a committee with senior officials concerned to review institutional PG guidelines, explore alternative student accommodation through universities, MCD and DDA."
HC orders probe
The Delhi High Court has also taken cognisance of the incident and ordered a high-level inquiry, while seeking response from the Delhi government, the Centre, the MCD and the Delhi University (DU). It said such tragedies are a result of inadequate measures employed by the MCD and other authorities.
"You [government] can't escape responsibility... 50 young students who are at the threshold of their lives... Majority of them are perhaps still lying under the debris, there can’t be anything more sad than his," the court said.
BJP vs AAP vs Congress
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) targeted each other over the incident and said they were not focused on assisting the victims. The AAP alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in Goa for a party function, while the BJP targeted Arvind Kejriwal's party for spending lavishly on former chief minister's official bungalow.
The Congress also slammed the BJP and said the "four-engine government" in Delhi is a killing machine for students. "Every time, lives, dreams, and aspirations get buried under rubble -- and every time, any real action is nowhere to be found. And when you demand accountability, the prime minister himself slaps you with insulting labels like 'dimagi Naxal and naraaz phoopha' -- the intent being to shame, defame, and silence anyone who dares to ask questions," said Rahul Gandhi on X.
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