Delhi Horror: 6 Dead in Hauz Qazi Building Collapse; 3 Contractors Arrested
Six people died after an under-construction building collapsed in Delhi's Chawri Bazar. Three contractors have been arrested for negligence.
A tragic incident in the heart of Old Delhi's Chawri Bazar area has left six people dead after an under-construction building collapsed. The disaster, which occurred in the Hauz Qazi vicinity, has sparked a massive rescue operation and led to the arrest of three contractors suspected of gross negligence.
The Toll of the Tragedy
Officials confirmed on Saturday that the death toll has risen to six. The victims have been identified as Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu, and Dinesh Sah. While five of the deceased were migrants from Bihar, Vipin Ram was a local resident of Saket Block in Mandawali, Fazilpur, Delhi.
What Happened?
The incident unfolded on Thursday around 10:30 am at Gali Sheesh Mahal, Gali Shehatara, near Ajmeri Gate. A three-storey building under construction suddenly gave way, trapping several workers beneath a mountain of concrete and debris.
Initial investigations suggest a lethal combination of greed and haste. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Manoj Kumar noted that a four-storey structure had been squeezed onto a very small plot. The primary suspicion is that the "centring"—the temporary supports used during construction—was removed prematurely while the concrete was still wet, causing the structure to fail.
Furthermore, authorities suspect that unauthorised construction on the second and third floors added excessive weight, eventually bringing down the entire building.
A Gruelling Rescue Operation
The rescue mission was plagued by the geography of Old Delhi. The building was located at the end of a dead-end lane barely three feet wide. This narrow passage made it impossible for rescue trucks, motorised vehicles, or heavy earthmoving machinery to reach the site, forcing teams to operate under extreme constraints.
Approximately 30 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) were deployed. While four people were rescued early on, five others were feared trapped in the basement, where wet debris had since hardened, complicating the recovery efforts.
Legal Action and Arrests
The Delhi Police have taken swift action by arresting three contractors identified as Siraj, Tajuddin, and Furkan. All three are residents of Village Sirohi in the Faridabad district of Haryana.
The trio has been booked under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as investigators look into the safety violations that led to the fatal collapse.