Satya Niketan building collapse: 'I told him not to travel, but he insisted,' says mother of DU student who died in the tragedy

The last time Arpit spoke to his mother, it was around 12.30 pm on Sunday. He had reached Delhi that morning, back from Madhya Pradesh after Rakshabandhan, and had settled into his paying guest accommodation in Satya Niketan. An hour later, the building came down.

Every call after that went unanswered.

Arpit, 19, a second-year B.Com student at Delhi University's Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College, was one of seven people killed when a five-storey building housing a boys' PG collapsed near DU's South Campus at about 1.30 pm on September 6. Twelve people were pulled out of the rubble. Seven did not survive.


'I told him not to travel'

Days earlier, his mother had tried to stop him from leaving.

"At the railway station, his sister sneezed, which I considered an ominous sign, and I told him not to travel. But he insisted that his ticket was confirmed and that his classes were also about to start," she told PTI.

Also read: Satya Niketan building collapse most unfortunate; MCD, DU responsible too: Delhi HC

He left anyway. She is now left holding on to that moment. "Why did I let him come to Delhi? I had a feeling that something bad would happen," she said.

When she saw her son's body, she collapsed and lost consciousness, and had to be admitted to AIIMS. Even after she woke, she refused food, repeating that she would not eat until Arpit came home and fed her with his own hands.

A concert that will not happen

For Sanskar, 20, who had shared a classroom with Arpit for a year and a half, the news has not registered yet. The two had arrived in Delhi on the same day. Arpit had messaged him after boarding the train on Saturday evening.

"We were very close. He was one of the best people I had ever met. He had even told me that we would go to a concert in Delhi University," Sanskar told PTI. They were supposed to attend college together on Monday. "But fate had different plans," he said.

Mayank, a Kirori Mal College student, heard about the collapse from a friend and rushed to the site. When Arpit could not be found, the group called his mother in Madhya Pradesh and asked her not to send him back to Delhi, not knowing he had already left. They then moved to AIIMS and stayed there through the night. The family identified him around 9 am.

Raj Vardhan, his junior from school in their hometown, said Arpit was preparing for the Chartered Accountancy examinations alongside his B.Com degree. His elder sister is also studying CA.

A five-storey paying guest building collapsed in Delhi's Satya Niketan area on Sunday afternoon, killing seven people and leaving several others injured. AIIMS said it received 12 patients from the incident: seven died, three remain critical, one is stable and one has been discharged.

The deceased have been identified as Abhishek, Yuvraj Soni, Pawan, Arpit, Akshat Singh Yadav and Surinder Singh. One victim is yet to be identified. The injured have been named as Asgar Ali, Neeraj Bawa, Aditya Kumar, Nitish Chib and Md Ayan.

Rescue teams worked through the night to clear the debris. NDRF Inspector General Narendra Singh Bundela said canine teams and technical equipment were used to search for survivors trapped under the rubble. The final body was recovered early on Monday, bringing the operation to a close.

Owner held, five MCD officials suspended

The owner of the building, Hariram Gupta, was apprehended from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan on Monday, Delhi Police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said further examination was underway. A lookout notice had been issued against him earlier.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Monday suspended South Zone Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers pending disciplinary proceedings. Those suspended are Superintending Engineer Ranvir Singh, Executive Engineer (Building) Lalit Kumar Goel, Assistant Engineer (Building) Sunil Chauhan and Junior Engineer (Building) Ashish Kumar.Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who has ordered a magisterial inquiry, said initial findings pointed to water accumulation in the basement and repair work on the ageing structure.

Also read: Satya Niketan building collapse: Owner Hariram apprehended in Rajasthan after 7 killed in Delhi

She said buildings with unauthorised fifth floors would be sealed across Delhi and nearby PGs inspected.The government is also framing a policy requiring periodic structural audits and safety certification for any building meant for public use, whether a PG, nursing home or school.

The Congress has demanded a rent control law and Rs 1 crore in compensation for the families.

Outside AIIMS on Monday, Arpit's friends were still there, waiting for the paperwork to end. They had come to Delhi the same week, from the same kind of small-town home, for the same reason. One of them had a college day that never came and a concert ticket that will not be used.

(With inputs from agencies)