Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the state of educational infrastructure and student safety after a five-storey hostel building collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan area, leaving three people dead and several others feared trapped.
In a post on X, Dipke said Modi had visited Delhi University a day earlier and delivered a political speech in which he invoked the term “dimagi naxal”, but had little to say about the condition of educational infrastructure in the country.
“Today, a hostel building in South Campus has collapsed, with students feared trapped under the debris. The number of casualties is still unknown,” he said.
Rescue operations were underway at the building, identified as Hostel Daze, with nine people pulled out from the debris. Locals said some of those trapped had been making phone calls seeking help.
“How long must students be made to pay the price for failing infrastructure?” Dipke asked.
He said students in tribal areas were dying due to inadequate care and support, while those studying in the national capital were also facing safety concerns.
“Adivasi students are dying in tribal belts due to a lack of care and support, and even students studying in the national capital are not safe,” he said, demanding safe classrooms, safe hostels and basic dignity for students.
“Is that really too much to ask?” Dipke said, asking whether the Prime Minister would visit DU again and explain how the building collapsed.
According to locals, the building had around 15 rooms, with two to three students staying in each room. Construction or repair work was reportedly underway in the basement.
A local claimed that water had accumulated in the basement following several days of rain and may have weakened the building’s foundation, leading to the collapse. The claim could not be independently verified.
Many of the hostel residents are from Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and study at Motilal Nehru College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College and Sri Venkateswara College, located across the road.
Residents also raised concerns over the structural safety of other buildings in the area, several of which have been converted into paying guest accommodations for students.
(With inputs from PTI)
