Exclusive: Hours before Delhi hostel collapse, a worker hit a panic button
Hours before a five-storey paying guest (PG) accommodation for boys crumbled in Southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday afternoon, a labourer had allegedly called the PG operator to warn him that one of the walls of the building could collapse amid the ongoing construction work, The Indian Express has learnt. The construction work is said to have weakened the structure of the building.
The labourer told police, according to sources, that he had called Sudhanshu, 31, who ran the ‘Hostel Daze’ chain in the area, to warn that the building won’t be able to take the load of the construction work in the basement.
During the questioning, Sudhanshu, who was arrested on Wednesday, told police that he had also warned Mahesh, the son of the property owner, to not go ahead with the renovation work.
The building didn’t have the base to bear the weight of the extra floors, he claimed to have said.
“We are also trying to get details of the timeline of the construction work, and ask neighbours how the building came up and whether it was inspected during the construction,” said a police officer.
On Thursday, multiple people from the neighbourhood in the area where the building crumbled were questioned by the police to re-create the sequence of the events. The building collapse killed seven people, including five students.
In Satya Niketan, all seven PGs operated by Hostel Days have been inspected by the MCD with the officials preparing a report on the possible violations. Most of the company’s PGs visibly violate certain norms, specially the single entry- exit point, according to sources.
When The Indian Express visited the site on Thursday, one of the PGS, just opposite a Metro station, was found to be empty. “All the students left the day the other building came down. But this building hasn’t been sealed,” said a worker at the PG.
“If there were to be a fire, we won’t even have space to run. We took it because it was the only place with decent food. The MCD official came today, and inquired about the whole building. But we are happy that Sudhanshu was arrested. He was very rude,” said a second-year Delhi University student, living at a four-floor girls PG, just 100 meters away from the collapsed building.
Sudhanshu was among those who rushed to the five-storey building after it came crashing down on Sunday. But when students, mostly from DU, at the spot began recognising him, he left, fearing he would be beaten, The Indian Express reported on Thursday.
Police on Wednesday traced him to a friend’s house in Burari and arrested him. A graduate from DU’s Hans Raj College, police said Sudhanshu had started the PG business in 2022, primarily catering to students studying at his alma mater.
Sudhanshu was in charge of installing the 16-bed facility with amenities, looking after maintenance, and overseeing the repair and construction work needed at the 50-year-old building that collapsed. He was the main person prospective tenants met when they came looking for rooms, sources in the police said.
They added that Sudhanshu took the building on rent as it was being offered at a lesser price than the usual market price, primarily due to its poor condition.
The owner of the building, Hariram, his son Mahesh, wife Urmila, and labour contractor Saroj were arrested earlier in the case.
“The owners allegedly knew that the building wouldn’t be able to bear the weight of four additional floors. And yet, they decided to give the construction a go-ahead and lease it out to a PG company last year,” a senior officer said.
