Satya Niketan building collapse: Students allege death toll ‘misreported’, leave area amid demolition drive

A day after the Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police concluded search and rescue operations at the site of the Satya Niketan PG collapse, over 150 Delhi University students began an indefinite protest on Tuesday (September 8, 2026), claiming that several students were still unaccounted for and demanding that the government release complete data on the incident.

The students alleged that the authorities were underreporting the number of deaths in the collapse, which killed seven people and injured five others.

“There are at least three to four students who are currently unaccounted for. There could be more. Their parents visited AIIMS and Safdarjung hospitals and did not find their children there. We are trying to find the whereabouts of these students,” said Unnayan, an AISA representative.

“There is a basement which has not been evacuated yet. There might still be labourers inside,” he alleged.

The students also claimed that the families and friends of some victims were being allowed into the AIIMS Trauma Centre, adding to the confusion and distress surrounding the incident.

Their demands include ₹1 crore compensation for each victim’s family, safety audits of all PG accommodations, action, including jail against those responsible for violations, and hostel facilities for students.

Students pack up

The department said that if a person is subsequently reported missing by their family, the matter can be reported to the police and the agencies will return to the site and conduct fresh searches.

Meanwhile, the lanes of Satya Niketan, usually crowded with students, were dotted with suitcases, large bags and other belongings as hundreds of students began vacating PG accommodations following directions to remove occupants from unsafe buildings.

Several students said those living in PG buildings with four or more floors were being asked to vacate first, as such structures were expected to face demolition as part of the action against illegal constructions.

At several PGs, students who were away when the collapse occurred had friends or relatives arrive to collect their belongings.

“My niece got admission to Maitreyi College a month ago, and she shifted to a PG here. Her parents are in Guwahati, and they could not come here so quickly from such a distance. I got a call from them, and that is why we came to take her and her things back,” a relative said.

Some students alleged that even after vacating their accommodations, they had not received their security deposits or refunds for outstanding rent.

The exodus has added to the uncertainty among students living in the densely packed neighbourhood, where a large number of PG accommodations cater to students from Delhi University’s South Campus. For many, the immediate concern is finding a safe place to stay even as questions remain over the structural safety of other buildings in the area.

Responding to students’ claims, the Delhi Fire Service said it had returned to the site after receiving a call about the basement on Monday night, following the conclusion of the rescue operation.

The department stated that the rescue and search operation had been called off by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), after which all agencies withdrew from the site. Fire officials subsequently returned after being informed that the basement had not been checked and conducted a verification search that night. No bodies were found, prima facie, officials said.

Officials said a hole had been cut into the basement slab during the rescue operation, but it could not be conclusively established whether the entire basement had been accessed or searched.