NEW DELHI: The alleged owner of the building that collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, killing seven people, has been apprehended in Bhiwadi, Delhi Police said on Monday.The accused, identified as Hariram Bansal, was earlier untraceable and had been the subject of a search by multiple police teams.Delhi Police had formed 10 teams comprising personnel from local district police, the Special Staff and other operational units to track Bansal. An FIR had also been registered against him and a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued.The building collapse has so far claimed seven lives, while 12 people have been rescued from the debris. Rescue operations continued at the site as teams searched for any remaining victims.Meanwhile, the Delhi government suspended five MCD officials following the collapse, including the Deputy Commissioner of the South Zone, Executive Engineer, Superintendent Engineer, Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineer.MCD Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar said the adjoining building had weakened and was being strengthened before being taken up for demolition in a calibrated manner over the next one to two days.“In August, we had passed demolition orders for 3-4 buildings in the same area. A regular identification is conducted. In the last three months, 960 demolitions were carried out, 407 buildings were sealed, and notices were served to 1,500 buildings for sealing and demolition,” Khirwar said.He said the action was part of the MCD’s regular drive against unauthorized construction.Bansal’s neighbour in Gurugram, SP Sharma, said the alleged owner had been living in the area for several years and owned multiple properties.“He owns a hardware shop. I have no idea about Delhi; I don’t know if he owns a house in Satya Niketan or anything like that, but he does have four or five properties here,” Sharma told ANI.The collapse has also triggered protests by students affiliated with the NSUI and ABVP, who have demanded accountability and stronger safety measures for students living in paying guest accommodations.Jhanvi Kataria, a DUSU 2026 election candidate, demanded that hostels be constructed for students and that the government bear their PG and flat rents until land is allocated for such facilities.She also pointed to a similar building collapse in the area three years ago and questioned why adequate precautions had not been taken to prevent a recurrence.Congress leader Srinivas BV accused the government of delaying its response to the collapse and alleged that government rescue teams took three hours to reach the site. He claimed NSUI members helped rescue people before official teams arrived.The incident has also raised concerns over the safety of adjoining structures. Authorities evacuated buildings in the vicinity after cracks were reported in some structures, while iron jacks were installed to support nearby buildings.Delhi CM Rekha Gupta has directed officials to immediately seal illegal five-storey buildings across the city and ordered intensive inspections of PG accommodations and other buildings in the area.The government has said strict action will be taken against MCD officials found responsible for any lapses.Among those killed was Arpit, a B.Com student of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College. College principal Professor Gyanatosh Kumar Jha said another student injured in the collapse was undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre.The Delhi High Court is also set to hear the matter after the collapse was urgently mentioned before the Chief Justice.
