Delhi building collapse fuels calls for MCD chief's resignation

A five-storey structure serving as a student paying-guest residence in Satya Niketan collapsed, resulting in seven deaths and numerous injuries. Student bodies such as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the National Students' Union of India staged protests outside the MCD office, demanding that Municipal Corporation of Delhi commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar resign over alleged safety lapses. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta responded by suspending several senior MCD officials, including the deputy commissioner and various engineers, and ordered a magisterial investigation.

She attributed the failure to water accumulation in the basement and ongoing repair work that weakened the four-decade-old building. The tragedy has prompted a citywide audit of aging buildings used as PGs, nursing homes, schools and similar facilities, with plans for periodic structural certifications. Khirwar, who previously faced a transfer controversy over alleged dog-walking at Thyagraj Stadium, returned to Delhi earlier this year to lead the MCD.