Political Fallout After Six Die in Delhi Hostel Collapse

On Sunday, a deteriorating five‑floor hostel in Delhi’s Satyaniketan sector collapsed, killing six people and leaving several others injured. Built roughly five decades ago, the structure gave way in a narrow lane, sending rubble onto the street below.

The JP Nexus Apex Trauma Centre reported that eleven patients arrived at the hospital. Five were already dead, a sixth succumbed later, and five survivors received medical attention: three were admitted for observation, one underwent surgery to repair severe injuries, and one with minor wounds was released.

West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh, commenting on the tragedy, described it as “deeply saddening” and called for an immediate investigation into the building’s construction records and the reasons students were housed there. He said the Delhi government should leave no stone unturned in uncovering the facts.

When the Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, accused the state of negligence, Ghosh pointed out that the Kejriwal administration had not inspected the building before the collapse, implying that the current blame is politically motivated.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi also raised concerns about the incident, to which Ghosh responded that Gandhi had no substantive reply regarding the condition of student accommodations in Karnataka’s gaushala hostels, suggesting that the focus should remain on Delhi’s emergency.

The minister also addressed a recent attack on poet Humayun Kabir, urging law enforcement to hold the perpetrators accountable and warning parties against wasting time on symbolic gestures.