"We Dug Out Friends' Bodies": Students Recall Delhi Building Collapse Horror

In southwest Delhi's Satya Niketan, thousands of students come every year with their backpacks full of books and eyes full of hope. The last thing they can imagine is getting stuck under the debris of the very building they have learned to call home, desperately waiting for help.

That was the reality of the occupants of 'Hostel Daze', the paying guest (PG) facility that crumbled on Sunday, June 6, killing seven and injuring five others. Most of the dead and injured were students, with the others being labourers who were working in the basement of the building.

Speaking to NDTV on Monday, students and eyewitnesses present at the Delhi building collapse site said they themselves had to pull out their friends stuck under the debris because rescue teams arrived late.

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One of the students showed videos of the action, backing his claim.

The PG building collapsed at around 1:30 pm. "The NDRF (National Disaster Rescue Force) arrived here after two and a half hours. It was around 4 pm," the student claimed.

Many of the students who spoke to NDTV complained about being in the dark about the fact that the collapsed building had been served notice.

"Nobody had any idea that this building would collapse. I have been living here for four years, and this building was probably 40 years old, but nobody had any idea that the building would fall," a student, whose friend used to live in the PG facility, said.

When asked about the rent in the area, one of them said it was Rs 15,000-16,000 for a triple-sharing room. "Student rooms are always small, and these people charge a lot of money."

Student Body Elections Put Building Collapse In Focus?

Students also alleged that the incident was highlighted by student leaders only because the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections are near.

"If you delay the DUSU election by two months, not a single politician will be seen here," a student, who identified himself as Sawai Sharma, told NDTV.

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He blamed the ABVP for not fulfilling its promise of increasing hostel rooms in Delhi University campuses. "For the last three to four years, the ABVP comes, says they'll increase hostel seats. But students don't get hostels."

Shravan B. Raj, national secretary of the ABVP, pinned the blame to Delhi University authorities.

"We used to give the promises, but to an extent, we have succeeded. We have kept a demand to increase the hostel seats, and 2,300 seats are being constructed. Unfortunately, the Delhi University administration has utterly failed to implement that. So we are again here to fight for the students," he told NDTV.

He claimed that the leaders have been conveying the issue to the Centre as well, but no action has been taken so far.

"We are putting our efforts, we are putting our 100 per cent. Some things are happening with a bit of delay due to the administration," Raj said.

However, it is not clear when the additional 2,300 hostel seats will be constructed. For now, students will have to live in their small PG rooms and face consequences if anything happens.