Was it murder? Dreams of IAS and CA buried under debris

Greed of landlords and negligence of the government led to the loss of seven precious lives.

The greed of landlords and the negligence of the government and its officials in enforcing regulations have claimed seven precious lives. On Sunday, a five-storey PG building collapsed in Satya Niketan, Delhi. This tragedy not only resulted in the death of seven students but also buried the dreams of them and their parents. This building, which was supposed to support the students' dreams, turned into a death trap for them.

The Delhi High Court also reprimanded the Delhi government and MCD on this issue on Monday. During the hearing, the court remarked that,

The Delhi government and MCD cannot evade responsibility. The court has ordered the MCD and Delhi University to respond to this incident within 10 days.

On Monday, the court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to conduct a high-level inquiry into the incident of the building collapse in Satya Niketan. The court has asked to determine whether the collapsed building was constructed with valid permission or not. It also emphasized the need for immediate steps to regulate paying guest (PG) accommodations in the capital.

The court directed that the investigation be conducted at the “highest executive level” of the MCD. If it is found that the collapsed building or any part of it was constructed without necessary permission, accountability of the responsible officials should be established. The MCD has also been asked to provide information on actions taken against officials found guilty of negligence.

It is noteworthy that,

Among the deceased were five young students. Many of them had just returned to Delhi a few hours earlier after spending the festival holidays with their families. Some aspired to become IAS officers, while others aimed to be chartered accountants. All of them dreamed of making their parents proud by advancing in their careers. But their dreams were buried under the rubble. Families searched for their children in the debris, while others waited outside hospitals and morgues. For some families, identifying their children's bodies was extremely difficult.

According to a report by The Times Of India, after the recovery of two more bodies from the debris, the death toll rose to seven. Shweta, the mother of Akshat, identified her son's body at the AIIMS morgue on Monday by a mole on his neck and an operation scar on his right leg. Akshat's mother stated that,

Akshat's dream was to become an IAS officer and make his parents proud. But the rubble of the Satya Niketan building has permanently shattered that dream. Akshat's body, a second-year B.Com (Honors) student at PGDAV College, was recovered from the debris at 7 AM on Monday.

Akshat had been living in Delhi for the past two years and had been staying in this PG for about a year. He lived on the first floor and paid a rent of ₹18,000 per month. After celebrating Raksha Bandhan, he had returned to Delhi from his home in Madhya Pradesh just two days before the incident. His cousin Deepankar had advised him to stay in Mayur Vihar.

Deepankar said,

I had told Akshat to shift to Mayur Vihar, but he did not agree. He said it was only a matter of one more year.” Just hours before the incident, Akshat had spoken to his parents via video call. Everything was fine.” The family learned about the building collapse after seeing a reel on social media and immediately set off for the site.

Shortly after, Akshat's relatives were searching for him in the debris. His wallet was found at the site, confirming that he was among those trapped in the rubble. Later, his body was identified at the AIIMS morgue.

Akshat's neighbor Vijay Kumar Rajak stated that,

He was very good at studies. He said, “He did not socialize much and focused entirely on his studies.” Outside the morgue, Akshat's younger sister kept crying. It was hard for the family to accept that their son, who had big dreams, would never return.

The incident hit the family of Yuvraj doubly hard. On one hand, they lost Yuvraj, while on the other, his father Kanhaiya's health deteriorated upon hearing the news of his son's serious condition, leading to his hospitalization. The family has not yet informed Kanhaiya about Yuvraj's death. They fear that this shock could worsen his condition. Kanhaiya runs a medical store in Chhattisgarh.

At the time of the building collapse, Yuvraj was on the phone with his friend Gunjan. Suddenly, the call was disconnected. Gunjan called him several times, but there was no response. Yuvraj, a B.Com (Honors) student at Motilal Nehru College, was from Chhattisgarh. His friends knew him as a calm and studious student. His cousin mentioned that Yuvraj had just moved to the fourth floor of the PG only a week before the incident.

As soon as the news of the building collapse reached, Yuvraj's relatives arrived in Delhi. They anxiously waited outside as the debris was being cleared. For a long time, the family hoped that Yuvraj would be found alive. But with the recovery of his body from the rubble, all their hopes were shattered.

Nineteen-year-old Arpit Jaj's family has decided to donate his corneas. The family wants Arpit to help someone in need see the world even after his death.

Arpit, a second-year B.Com student, aspired to become a chartered accountant. His friend Mayank stated that he returned to his PG on Sunday morning after celebrating Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami with his family in Devas, Madhya Pradesh. Just a few hours later, the building turned into a death trap.

Initially, Arpit's mother thought he might be sleeping, which is why he wasn't answering his phone. Later, relatives learned about the building collapse and rushed to the site. But by then, it was too late. Arpit's body was identified at 6 PM. His mother was continuously crying at AIIMS. She blamed herself for not stopping her son from returning to Delhi.

For 17-year-old Pawan Kumar from Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, a last-minute change of plans proved fatal. Pawan had planned to visit his cousin's house and stay there until Sunday. However, he later changed his mind. A few hours later, he was trapped under the rubble of the collapsed PG building.

Pawan, the brother of four sisters, had taken computer science and mathematics at Motilal Nehru College. His father is a retired veterinarian. Pawan's cousin Dheeraj stated that,

The PG building was already in a dilapidated condition. As soon as the news of the building collapse reached, Pawan's relatives arrived at the site. Rescue teams were searching for him in the debris while the family waited anxiously outside. Some people present there informed them that several trapped students had been rescued alive. This gave the family hope that Pawan might also have survived.

Dheeraj said, “Many people had told us that Pawan had been rescued and was alive.” Relatives kept waiting for news of Pawan's safe return, trusting every little piece of information. But after 10 PM, they were informed that Pawan had died. At the hospital, Pawan's father appeared completely shattered. It was extremely difficult for him to accept the horrific truth of his teenage son's death.