Darkness, debris and the voice of his friend were the only things second-year Delhi University student Nitish Chib could sense after a five-storey building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapsed on Sunday, killing seven people.
Nitish remained trapped beneath the rubble for more than 90 minutes. Although he could not see his friend, he could hear him desperately calling their seniors for help as both lay buried under the debris.
“We felt we won’t survive. Our seniors arrived and we were rescued with the help of NDRF teams,” Nitish told India Today.
A student of Motilal Nehru College (Evening), Nitish had been staying in the Satya Niketan building for about a year. He was with his friend when the structure came down at around 1.15 pm on Sunday, resulting in seven deaths. Police were informed about the collapse at around 1.34 pm.
Recalling what happened moments before the collapse, Nitish said he initially heard water leaking. “There was some sound of water leakage and then after some time the building collapsed,” he said.
The two students spent hours trapped beneath the rubble, unable to see their surroundings. While waiting for rescuers, they tried to determine whether anyone else was alive, while Nitish’s friend repeatedly contacted their seniors and sent them their location in the hope of getting assistance.
Nitish was eventually rescued with injuries to his head, shoulder and legs. He was taken to AIIMS and discharged several days later. He has since gone back to Jammu.
‘LANDLORD DIDN’T TELL US ABOUT BASEMENT WORK’
While recovering, Nitish has also questioned the construction and repair work that was taking place inside the building before it collapsed.
“There was some digging work going on in the basement. But the landlord didn't warn us. There has been a lapse on the part of the government,” he said.
Repair work had been underway in the basement for around eight to 10 days after waste and water had collected there following several days of rainfall. Three truckloads of debris were reportedly placed inside the basement to bring its level up to that of the ground floor.
Nitish also spoke about the broader shortage of student accommodation in Delhi. “We were paying Rs 15,000 for one bed. There are no hostels in colleges,” he said, calling for regular inspections of paying guest accommodations and more hostels to be built at Delhi University colleges.
For Nitish’s family, the ordeal started as soon as they learnt he was trapped. His mother immediately travelled to Delhi after hearing about the collapse.
“The moment I received the news, I immediately left for Delhi. When I reached Delhi, I was relieved to know that my son was rescued,” she said.
She said Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met the family and assured them that every possible assistance would be provided. The Chief Minister also expressed regret over the incident and promised that measures would be taken to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.
Meanwhile, police have arrested several people in connection with the collapse, including Mahesh, the son of building owner Hariram Gupta, labour contractor Sanoj Kumar and paying guest accommodation operator Lovneesh. Hariram Gupta, 81, and his wife Urmila, 75, are also in judicial custody.
Tyagi and Lovneesh had been running the PG accommodation under the name “Hostel Daze” after leasing four floors of the building in August 2025 for Rs 1.05 lakh per month.
Police said Tyagi remains on the run, with teams sent to Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other locations to locate and arrest him.
