AAP councillors protest at MCD over Saket building collapse, demand accountability

AAP councillors protested outside Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar’s office at Delhi’s Civic Centre on Tuesday, pressing for action over the building collapse near Saket Metro station that killed six people. The protest came three days after the structure fell in Saidulajab on May 30 and a day after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi suspended two engineers linked to the area. MCD Mayor Pravesh Wahi said a detailed investigation would be conducted. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has separately ordered a magisterial inquiry and a survey of unsafe and illegal buildings in Saidulajab. ### Why did AAP councillors gather at the MCD commissioner’s office? AAP councillors assembled outside the commissioner’s office on June 2 and accused the BJP-run MCD of failing to act despite earlier complaints about the structure. PTI reported that councillors carried placards and “fake currency” notes while raising slogans over what they described as inaction in the case. Ankush Narang, the Leader of Opposition in the MCD, said the protest targeted what he called corruption, officials’ complicity and negligence in the collapse of the building under construction in Saket. In a statement cited by PTI, Narang said local residents had complained but the deputy commissioner of the south zone had not acted, and he demanded the official’s immediate suspension. ### What are AAP leaders alleging about the collapsed building? Ashok Kumar Maanu, an AAP councillor from Tilak Nagar who joined the protest, said the building had already been identified as dangerous and that no effective action followed. He told PTI Videos that those who died should get justice and that officials should resign. Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP’s Delhi president, said neighbours had moved the High Court over the unauthorised construction and alleged that the MCD had told the court no construction was underway. The Hindu reported that Bharadwaj said the suspension of two junior-level officers was insufficient and that the mayor should resign on moral grounds. ### What has the MCD done so far? The Municipal Corporation of Delhi suspended two engineers on May 31 in connection with the collapse. Hindustan Times reported that junior engineer Aman Jain and assistant engineer Audesh Singh Chouhan were placed under suspension with immediate effect over what the order described as failure of effective supervision and slackness. Pravesh Wahi, the Delhi mayor, said on Tuesday that officials responsible for negligence had been suspended and that a thorough investigation would follow. He told PTI that action would also be taken against senior officers if their involvement was found. Wahi said engineers had been instructed to identify illegal buildings and that action would continue across all 12 zones. ### What do officials say caused the collapse? Police told The Indian Express that illegal construction on the upper floors appeared to have been underway for several months and that this was the prima facie cause of the incident. The building collapsed around 7:15 p.m. on May 30 in a densely populated stretch of Western Marg in Saidulajab, near Saket Metro station. Hindustan Times reported that the Delhi Fire Services received the first call at 7:44 p.m. Rescue operations involved the NDRF, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, MCD teams, Civil Defence and ambulance services. ### Who were the victims? Six people were killed and at least 10 were injured in the collapse, according to reports published after rescue operations continued into May 31. The Indian Express said five of those killed were students, including a 26-year-old medical graduate preparing for the foreign medical graduate examination and a 22-year-old engineering aspirant. Police told the newspaper that around 20 people, most of them students living in nearby paying guest housing and rented rooms, had gathered in a kitchen next to the building for dinner when the structure came down. The sixth victim was Parvati, 35, who ran the kitchen. ### What happens next? Rekha Gupta ordered a magisterial inquiry on May 31 to establish the cause of the collapse and fix accountability, according to Hindustan Times. A criminal case was also registered at Mehrauli police station, and officials were directed to inspect dilapidated, unsafe and illegal buildings in Saidulajab and nearby areas. Wahi said the MCD’s probe would also examine whether senior officials were involved.