Satya Niketan building collapse: Labour contractor held; bereaved father urges parents not to send children to Delhi
New Delhi/Dewas, Sep 8 (PTI) A labour contractor has been apprehended from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the collapse of a five-storey paying guest accommodation in Delhi's Satya Niketan that left seven people dead, police said on Tuesday.
The contractor, Sanoj, was en route to Delhi for questioning as part of the investigation into the construction and repair work carried out at the building housing the Hostel Daze PG, they said.
On Monday, a Delhi court sent two other accused, Hariram, an ex-IAF sergeant and his wife, Urmila, to 14 days' judicial custody, while their son, Mahesh, was remanded to police custody for two days.
"During 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 PG operator Hostel Daze in August 2025, he told police.
According to the police, the basement of the building had been undergoing repairs for the past eight to 10 days, as waste and water had accumulated there over days of rain. The ground floor was also being repaired for an extension, allegedly for commercial purposes.
On the day of the collapse, Mahesh and family came to know about the incident from the locals, following which they decamped to Mahesh's in-laws' house in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, the police said.
The incident occurred around 1.15 pm on Sunday, and police received information at about 1.34 pm.
A case was registered in the matter on the complaint of Assistant Sub Inspector Praful Toppo, a source said.
According to the FIR, when the police team reached the site, the entire building had collapsed, and several people were trapped under the debris.
The structure comprised a ground floor and four upper floors with several students and other people as its residents.
A local enquiry, according to the FIR, indicated that the building was several years old and that its owners, identified as Hariram and his brother, had constructed floors allegedly for rental income.
The FIR stated that new construction put pressure on the structure.
The police have alleged that the owners knew the existing building foundation could not bear the additional load.
The investigation has also brought under scrutiny a rent agreement purported to have been issued to the building's occupants.
According to the police source, the document says that the PG operators would not be responsible for any "casualties or risk" to tenants.
It 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 calamities.
The agreement states that tenants leaving the hostel before the stipulated period would not be entitled to a refund of hostel fees or security money. Registration money paid for booking a PG seat is non-refundable, it says.
The document, the police say, also gives the operators the power to immediately evict a tenant for indiscipline, misconduct, breach of rules, disrespect towards authorities, non-payment of dues, or misbehaviour with wardens, staff or other students.
According to the agreement, parents and guardians were barred from entering the tenants' rooms.
Among those who died in the collapse was Arpit Jaj, a 21-year-old second-year BCom student from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh.
His father, Bhupendra Jaj, who bid him final farewell in Dewas on Tuesday, made an emotional appeal to parents with folded hands.
"I just want to tell all parents not to send their children to Delhi to study in the future. I am devastated. I was educating him despite facing many difficulties," Bhupendra Jaj told reporters.
He said that one of Arpit's eyes was damaged in the accident and the family decided to donate his other eye so that the life of a needy patient could be brightened.
Bhupendra Jaj, who runs a car taxi business in Dewas, claimed he faced many difficulties in searching for his son after the building collapse and did not receive the necessary help from the Delhi administration.
"We searched for Arpit from the collapsed building to hospitals, but no one was willing to tell us anything. Finally, with the help of a lawyer, we identified his body," said the businessman.
Bhupendra Jaj demanded a thorough investigation into the building collapse and strict action against those responsible for the tragedy.
The Delhi administration should pay attention to the dilapidated buildings around the crash site to prevent such accidents in the future, he suggested.
Arpit's grandfather, Makhanlal Jaj, remembered him as a bright child and a pillar of support for the family.
"He was the light of our family. We have lost our support," Makhanlal Jaj said with a choked voice.
According to family members, after celebrating Rakshabandhan (August 28) and Janmashtami (September 4), Arpit left his hometown Dewas for Delhi on September 5 and arrived in the national capital on September 6.
Hours later, the building in the Satya Niketan area, where the 21-year-old BCom student resided, came crashing down, killing him and 6 others.
(With inputs from PTI)
