On 6 September 2026, a five-story paying guest accommodation in Satya Niketan, Delhi, collapsed while students were inside. Seven people have died, including our friend Arpit Jaj of Madhya Pradesh.

Arpit came to Delhi to study and build his future.

He did not expect that the building in which he lived would become the place where he would lose his life.

This was not simply a personal tragedy. It has raised serious questions about the safety and regulation of student accommodation across Delhi.

WHY THIS MATTERS
Initial findings reported after the Satya Niketan collapse raise serious concerns about the building's legality and safety.

Reports indicate that:

The collapsed building had no sanctioned building plan;
Unauthorized work had been undertaken in the basement;
The building had been used as a large PG accommodation;
Questions have been raised regarding its permitted number of floors and structural alterations; and
The building reportedly did not have the required fire-safety clearance despite housing numerous students.
The precise cause and responsibility must, of course, be established through a proper investigation.

But one fact is already undeniable:

Students were living in a building whose safety and regulatory compliance now require serious investigation.

And this is precisely why we cannot stop at investigating one building.

THIS IS A CITY-WIDE STUDENT SAFETY ISSUE.
Delhi is home to thousands of students who come from across India.

Because institutional hostel capacity is limited, many students are forced to depend upon private PGs, hostels, and converted residential properties.

The shortage of affordable student accommodation has created an ecosystem in which students often have little ability to determine:

whether a building has a sanctioned plan;
whether its actual construction matches the sanctioned plan;
whether additional floors have been illegally constructed;
whether basements have been structurally altered;
whether the premises are legally permitted to operate as a PG/hostel;
whether structural safety has been independently assessed; or
whether applicable fire and life-safety requirements have been complied with.

The Delhi High Court has now itself sought a high-level inquiry into the Satya Niketan collapse and called for urgent steps regarding the regulation and safety of PG accommodations.

A PIL before the High Court has further called for comprehensive safety audits of PGs and hostels in major student areas across Delhi.

The question is no longer whether there is a problem. The question is whether authorities will act before another student dies.

OUR DEMANDS

1. IMMEDIATE CITY-WIDE SAFETY AUDIT OF PGs
Conduct a comprehensive structural and safety audit of PGs, hostels, and major student accommodation facilities across Delhi.

The audit should initially prioritize student hubs such as

Satya Niketan, Vijay Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Gandhi Vihar, Nehru Vihar, Hudson Lane, Gurmandi, Karol Bagh, Old Rajendra Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, and other high-density student accommodation areas.

2. VERIFY EVERY BUILDING'S SANCTIONED PLAN
Authorities must verify whether the actual building corresponds to its sanctioned building plan.

Particular attention must be given to:

unauthorized additional floors;
basement construction or excavation;
alterations to load-bearing structures;
structural modifications;
change of permissible use; and
overcrowding beyond safe capacity.

3. STRUCTURAL SAFETY CERTIFICATION
Every PG operating in Delhi should be required, wherever applicable under the governing framework, to undergo periodic structural assessment by qualified professionals.

A building that cannot demonstrate compliance with applicable safety requirements should not be allowed to continue housing students until the risk is addressed.

4. FIRE AND LIFE-SAFETY COMPLIANCE
Authorities must verify applicable fire-safety requirements, including required fire clearances/NOCs, emergency exits, evacuation arrangements, and other life-safety measures.

Students should not have to discover whether their building is safe only after a fire or collapse.

5. PUBLIC PG SAFETY DATABASE
Create a publicly accessible database containing, subject to privacy safeguards:

PG address;
registration/approval status;
permitted use;
applicable fire-safety status;
structural safety certification/status;
inspection date;
major violations, if any; and
action taken by authorities.
Students and parents should be able to check whether a PG is compliant before paying thousands of rupees to live there.

6. IMMEDIATE ACTION AGAINST DANGEROUS BUILDINGS
Where an inspection establishes an immediate threat to life, authorities must take lawful and proportionate action to protect residents—including evacuation, sealing, or other measures where legally warranted.

No rent should be worth a student's life.

7. TRANSPARENT INVESTIGATION INTO ARPIT'S DEATH
The circumstances surrounding the Satya Niketan collapse must be investigated independently and thoroughly.

Responsibility should be fixed wherever investigation establishes negligence, unauthorised construction, regulatory violations, or other wrongdoing.

This must include examination of the roles of:

property owners, PG operators, contractors, persons responsible for construction/alteration, and any public officials whose statutory duties may have been breached.

8. ACCOUNTABILITY OF REGULATORY AUTHORITIES
If an unsafe or unauthorized building was operating for years without effective enforcement, the authorities must determine how and why it remained undetected or unaddressed.

The Delhi High Court has already directed the MCD to examine whether the collapsed structures had valid permissions and to fix responsibility if official lapses are established.

9. SAFE ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION FOR STUDENTS
When a PG is declared unsafe, students should not simply be left on the streets.

The government and educational institutions should establish an emergency mechanism for temporary relocation of affected students.

10. A LONG-TERM STUDENT HOUSING POLICY FOR DELHI
Delhi needs more safe and affordable student accommodation.

The High Court has also raised the larger issue of inadequate accommodation for students, particularly those coming from outside Delhi.

Students should not be forced into unsafe buildings simply because institutional hostels are insufficient.

ARPIT MUST NOT BECOME A STATISTIC.

Arpit had a family.

He had friends.

He had dreams.

He came to Delhi to study—not to become a victim of an unsafe building.

We cannot bring Arpit back.

But we can make sure that his death forces the system to confront a problem that has existed for far too long.

We are not asking for every PG in Delhi to be shut down.

We are asking for something much simpler:

INSPECT THEM. CERTIFY THEM. REGULATE THEM.
AND HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE WHEN THEY PUT STUDENTS' LIVES AT RISK.

A student's safety cannot depend on whether the building owner followed the rules.

A student's life cannot depend on whether an inspection happened.

And another family should not have to lose their child before authorities inspect the building next door.

SIGN THIS PETITION.

Demand a city-wide safety audit of Delhi's PGs.

Demand transparency.

Demand accountability.

Demand safe student accommodation.

Justice for Arpit.
Safety for every student in Delhi.