Delhi PG collapse: An IAS dream crushed, a gift of sight amid tragedy

Two Madhya Pradesh students, Akshat Yadav (19) and Arpit Jaj (21) were among the seven who died when a five-storey PG accommodation collapsed in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on Sunday (September 6).

Akshat, a resident of Katni district and a Delhi University student, had moved to the national capital with the hope of joining the IAS one day. Arpit, a native of Dewas town, was a second-year BCom student at Delhi University’s Atma Ram Sanatan Dharam College. His family chose to donate his corneas so that his death could bring the possibility of sight and hope to others.

Both had returned to Delhi after celebrating Rakshabandhan with their respective families.

IAS dream crushed

Akshat was a resident of Dubey Colony in Tulsi Nagar area of Katni. Krishna Rajak, a childhood friend and classmate, told PTI Videos that the 19-year-old had passed the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) last year and was living in Delhi to pursue a BCom degree from the Delhi University.

Also read: Ground Report | Satya Niketan tragedy: Life in Delhi's PGs, one collapse away from disaster

“Akshat was very good in studies. He wanted to prepare for the IAS. Whenever we talked, he always talked about his preparations (for civil services exam),” he said.

Rajak said Akshat visited Katni for Rakshabandhan, but he was unable to meet him, something he will now rue for rest of his life. Sandeep Tripathi, a neighbour, said Akshat’s father works in the building construction sector, while his mother is a homemaker.

Family donates corneas

Arpit had returned to Delhi on Sunday itself, the day of the collapse. His family lost contact with him just hours after his arrival, and his death was confirmed on Monday.

After reaching the national capital, Arpit spoke to his parents over the phone and told them he would rest for some time to recover from the journey’s fatigue. “About one-and-a-half hours later, the accident happened and we could not contact him again,” said Vijay Sharma, a family acquaintance.

Also read: 'We've hardly added any hostels in 32 years': Manoj Jha after Satya Niketan collapse

His family decided to donate his corneas, giving the gift of sight to others amid the tragedy, family members said.

Lives that ended too soon

Among the other students who died were Yuvraj Soni and Abhishek Kumar, both aged 20 and second-year students at Motilal Nehru College. Yuvraj was a CA aspirant. Abhishek was from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The youngest victim was possibly Pawan Kumar (17), a first-year BSc student at Motilal Nehru College. He was from Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh.

Two labourers have been identified among the dead: Surinder Singh (75), a resident of Arjun Nagar in Delhi, and Pawan Lal Kori (30). A labourer and a man are yet to be identified. At least two persons are still critical and under treatment at AIIMS.

Retired IAF officer arrested

The owners of the PG building, identified as Hariram Gupta, his wife, and his son, were apprehended from Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi on Monday. Gupta is an 81-year-old retired IAF sergeant. His wife Urmila Gupta is 75 and their son Mahesh Gupta is 52.

Hariram, initially believed to be the property owner, was nabbed in Bhiwadi on the Haryana-Rajasthan border while on the run. According to the police, documents revealed Urmila as the property’s owner, while Hariram and Mahesh managed the PG.

Hariram has electricity connections for two floors of the building in his name, while Mahesh runs a hardware and paint shop in the area. According to the local police, Hariram is a resident of Sector-23, Gurugram, and has another son who is a pilot.

Also read: Satya Niketan building collapse: Latest student hub tragedy where safety went for a toss

A neighbour claimed Hariram owns at least four more properties in Gurugram, though admitting he knew nothing about the building in Saya Niketan.

Building had no columns or beams

The decades-old, five-storey building, which had two rooms on each floor with two beds in each room, housed a boys’ PG near Delhi University’s South Campus. Not all rooms were occupied. Twelve people were rescued from the debris, of whom seven died.

Renovation work was underway in the basement when the building collapsed around 1.30 pm on Sunday. The basement had a chronic waterlogging issue. The structure, spread over around 55 square metres, reportedly had no columns and beams.

A Delhi court on Monday sent Hariram and Urmila to 14 days of judicial custody, while their son was remanded in two-day police custody.

(With agency inputs)