Delhi Satya Niketan building collapse: Labour contractor apprehended in Kasganj, probe widens

A labour contractor was apprehended from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the collapse of a fivestorey building in Delhis Satya Niketan that left seven people dead as investigators scrutinised construction and repair work at the building and a rent agreement that reportedly disclaimed liability for tenant casualty police said on TuesdayChief Minister Rekha Gupta who visited the AIIMS Trauma Centre on Tuesday and met the families of students affected by the building collapse announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the injuredAIIMS in a statement said Of the four patients admitted two patients Aditya and Nitish Chib have been discharged after receiving treatment Neeraj Bawa remains admitted in the ICU and is in critical condition while Asgar Ali is stable The compensation for the kin of those who died in the tragedy will be announced soon sources from Guptas office saidThe chief minister has directed the municipal corporation to conduct a safety review of PGs across the city including checks of building safety requisite permissions Fire Safety NOCs and structural stability certificates The contractor Sanoj was on his way to Delhi for questioning in connection with the construction and repair work carried out at the building housing the Hostel Daze PG the police saidOn Monday a Delhi court sent building owner Hariram an 81yearold retired Indian Air Force sergeant and his 75yearold wife Urmila to 14 days judicial custody while their 52yearold son Mahesh was remanded to police custody for two daysDuring the investigation Mahesh told police that he used to look after the maintenance of the building on behalf of his parents a police officer said The building had been leased to the PG operator Hostel Daze in August 2025 he said According to the police the basement had been undergoing repairs for the past eight to 10 days after waste and water accumulated there over days of rainThe ground floor was also being repaired for an extension allegedly for commercial purposes The police said the family learned about the collapse from locals and decamped to Maheshs inlaws house in Bhiwadi Rajasthan The collapse occurred at around 115 pm on Sunday and police received information about it at around 134 pmA case in connection with the collapse was registered on the complaint of Assistant SubInspector Praful Toppo a source said According to the FIR the entire building had collapsed by the time police reached the spot with several people trapped under the debris The structure comprised a ground floor and four upper floors and housed several students and other residentsA local enquiry mentioned in the FIR found that the building was several years old and that its owners Hariram and his brother had constructed additional floors allegedly for rental income The FIR states that the new construction had put pressure on the existing structure and that the owners knew its foundation could not bear the additional loadInvestigators are also examining a rent agreement issued to occupants of the PG According to a police source the agreement states that the PG operators would not be responsible for any casualties or risk to tenantsIt also purportedly says the hostel would not be liable to pay compensation for personal injury loss or damage to belongings caused by circumstances beyond its control including sealing fire earthquake heavy rain and other natural calamitiesThe agreement states that tenants leaving before the stipulated period would not be entitled to a refund of hostel fees or security money and registration money paid for booking a PG seat was nonrefundable It also gave the operators the power to immediately evict a tenant for indiscipline misconduct breach of rules disrespect towards authorities nonpayment of dues or misbehaviour with wardens staff or other studentsParents and guardians were also barred from entering tenants rooms according to the document The tragedy has triggered anger and fear among students living in the South Campus area who have raised concerns over high rents cramped accommodation and the safety of PG buildingsEducation Minister Ashish Sood said the government would bring a policy and a web portal within 3045 days to regulate PGs and coaching institutes The proposed system would include details of PG accommodations their availability facilities and safety norms on a common portalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever