CJP demands accountability for South Delhi hostel collapse; Dipke asks PM

A rescue operation is underway after a building collapsed near Satya Niketan in South West Delhi on September 6, 2026 in New Delhi. Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Sunday (September 6, 2026) demanded accountability and a safety audit of all paying guest (PG) hostels in Delhi after a five-storey hostel building collapsed in the city’s Satya Niketan area, leaving five dead and several trapped.

CJP founder and director Abhijeet Dipke criticized the government’s priorities for education infrastructure, saying students were forced to live and study in unsafe conditions even as political institutions were given attention and resources.

The CJP team led by his organization’s co-head and north zone head Deepak Baliyan and joint national secretary Balakrishna Shukla reached the crash site near Delhi University’s south campus and joined residents and rescue personnel in the rescue effort.

In a post on X, Mr. Dipke questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi about student safety, pointing out that Mr. Modi had visited Delhi University a day earlier and had used the term “dimagi naxal” in his political speech, but had not talked about the state of educational infrastructure.

“A hostel building collapsed in South Campus today and students were feared trapped under the debris. The death toll is still unknown,” said Mr. Dipke.

“How long must students be forced to pay the price for failing infrastructure?” he asked, demanding safe classrooms, hostels and basic dignity for students.

“Adivasi students are dying in tribal belts due to lack of care and support and even students studying in the national capital are not safe,” Mr. Dipke said.

“Is it really too much?” he said and asked if the prime minister would visit DU again and explain how the collapse happened.

Rescue operations were underway at the collapsed building, which its owners named Hostel Daze.

CJP said its volunteers will remain on site to assist families and monitor the rescue operation until all students are accounted for.

The department also demanded a speedy inquiry into the city’s supervision of student accommodation in the area and a security audit of Delhi’s PG hostels.

The CJP ground team said that even before the arrival of the rescue services, the residents started rescue operations with their bare hands.

According to the locals, the building had around 15 rooms, with two to three students living in each, and construction or repair work was going on in the basement.

Many of the hostel’s residents are from Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and are enrolled at Motilal Nehru College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College and Sri Venkateswara College, which are located across the street.

Residents have also raised concerns about the structural safety of other buildings in the locality, where several residential properties have been converted into accommodation for PG students.

Mr. Dipke also referred to restrictions on Union Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Goa following the report of the building collapse.

“While grand BJP Bhavans are being built across states, students are forced to study and live in unsafe and inadequate infrastructure. This is not just a matter of buildings, it is about the future and security of India’s youth,” Dipke said.

He called on the government to prioritize safe schools, functional hostels and quality education infrastructure over “grandiose political establishments”.

Mr. Shah, who is on a three-day tour to Goa, visited the party office at Chimbel village near Panaji and inaugurated it. While the event was going on, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced its curtailment due to a building collapse in the state capital.

Published – 07 Sep 2026 01:06 IST