Delhi orders demolition of unsafe building after deadly Satya Niketan collapse, arrests owners
The Delhi government began tearing down the structure next to the Satya Niketan building that collapsed, killing seven, and detained the PG owner and his family.
A five-storey paying-guest building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapsed on September 6, leaving seven dead and five injured. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi declared the neighboring structure unsafe and began its demolition, pausing only briefly before resuming. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspected the AIIMS Trauma Centre, met victims’ families and announced a ₹5 lakh compensation package for each injured student.
Police arrested the 81-year-old owner Hariram Gupta, his 75-year-old wife Urmila and 52-year-old son Mahesh, sending them to 14-day judicial custody, while a labour contractor from Kasganj was also detained. The Delhi High Court took up a PIL seeking accountability, and the MCD suspended five South-Zone officials, including deputy commissioner Rakesh Gupta, as it prepares a comprehensive survey of paying-guest facilities across the capital.
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