"Body Was Numb": Student Who Shared Live Location Buried Under Delhi Building - NDTV

**Delhi, India –** A 21‑year‑old Delhi University postgraduate student, who had been livestreaming his whereabouts on a popular social‑media platform, was among the dozens of victims trapped when the three‑storey Satya Niketan hostel building in the city’s East Delhi district collapsed on Saturday. The student, whose name has not been released pending official notification to his family, had posted a live‑location tag moments before the structure gave way, prompting frantic attempts by friends to locate him. Rescue teams from the Delhi Fire Service, the National Disaster Response Force and private volunteers worked through the night, eventually recovering his body from a depth of roughly 6 metres beneath the rubble. “When the dust settled, the scene was heartbreaking; the body was numb, as the forensic team later described,” a senior fire officer told NDTV.

The tragedy has reignited debate over the legal safeguards that private paying‑guest (PG) operators in Delhi employ. The Satya Niketan proprietor, who had previously inserted a “no‑responsibility” clause in tenancy agreements—stipulating that the owner would not be liable for structural failures—has been denied anticipatory bail by a Delhi court, as reported by NDTV. Legal analysts argue that such clauses cannot override statutory duties under the Delhi Building By‑Laws and the National Building Code, which obligate owners to maintain structural integrity and ensure safety certifications. The Times of India highlighted that the clause may be deemed “void ab initio” if it attempts to exculpate the owner from negligence, a stance the Supreme Court appears poised to examine following recent petitions.

In response to the growing demand for safe student housing, the University of Delhi announced plans to expand its hostel capacity by 5,500 seats over the next five years, raising the total to 7,210, as reported by *The Hindu*. The expansion is intended to reduce reliance on private PG accommodations that often operate without stringent oversight. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has directed the municipal corporations of Delhi and other state capitals to submit comprehensive reports on the enforcement of building safety norms, a move that could lead to tighter regulation of private hostels and stricter penalties for non‑compliance. Families of the victims, activists, and student bodies are calling for an independent probe into the collapse and for immediate reforms to prevent similar disasters.