Six people have been killed after a three-storey building under construction collapsed in Delhi's Chawri Bazar, police said on Saturday, as rescue workers recovered the final bodies from the rubble two days after the structure came down. The building's owner and three contractors have been arrested, and the municipal corporation has suspended two of its engineers.
The death toll rose through Saturday as the search continued: two bodies were recovered on Thursday, a third was found on Saturday morning, and three more were pulled from the debris during the day, taking the toll to six by the evening. All six victims have been identified, police said.
What happened
The building, which was under construction in Gali Sheesh Mahal, Gali Shehatara, near Ajmeri Gate in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazar area, collapsed on Thursday morning (5 November). Police said they received information about the collapse at about 9.50am from Gali Sitara, near the Chawri Bazaar Metro station.
Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) launched a joint rescue operation. Two bodies were recovered on Thursday, and two people were pulled out alive with injuries.
Rescue teams worked through Friday and Saturday in difficult conditions. The building stood at the end of a dead-end lane barely three feet wide, making the site inaccessible to motorised vehicles, rescue trucks and heavy earthmoving machinery, according to officials quoted in the reports.
Chawri Bazar is one of Old Delhi's oldest and most congested markets, a warren of narrow lanes lined with old buildings, at its busiest in the days before Diwali.
The six victims
Police identified the six dead as Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu and Dinesh Sah. Five of the six were from Bihar; Vipin Ram was a resident of Saket Block in Mandawali, Fazilpur, Delhi.
| Name | From |
|---|---|
| Sanjeet Kumar, 45 | Bihar |
| Kishori Sah, 40 | Saharsa district, Bihar |
| Pankaj Sharma, 40 | Hanuman Nagar, Khagaria district, Bihar |
| Vipin Ram | Saket Block, Mandawali, Fazilpur, Delhi |
| Shantu | Khagaria district, Bihar |
| Dinesh Sah | Khagaria district, Bihar |
Pankaj Sharma, the third victim, was found on Saturday morning; the remaining three bodies were recovered later that day.
Two injured people, Sahdev Chaudhary, 25, and Firoz, 37, were rescued alive from the debris, according to reports from the scene.
Arrests and the investigation
Police have arrested four people in connection with the collapse. The building's owner, identified as Saimullah, also known as Ayub, a Delhi resident, was arrested on Saturday. Three contractors — Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan, all from Sirohi village in Faridabad, Haryana — were arrested earlier.
An FIR dated 5 November has been registered against the four accused at Hauz Qazi police station under Sections 105, 290, 125(a) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Section 105 covers culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Police said the construction work was illegal and the building was unsafe. The MCD has suspended its Junior Engineer and Assistant Engineer in connection with the incident, and an FIR has also been registered against the contractor.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said every possible effort would be made to rescue those trapped under the debris, adding that an investigation was under way and strict action would be taken against those responsible.
What may have caused the collapse
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manoj Kumar, who was at the scene on Thursday, said a four-storey structure had been built on a small plot and that the temporary supports may have been removed before the concrete had dried. Unauthorised construction on the second and third floors is suspected to have given way, bringing down the entire structure.
"A four-storey structure had been built on a small plot. It appears that the centring (temporary support) was removed while the debris/concrete was still wet, which led to the collapse. The wet debris has now set and is trapped in the basement."
Kumar said five people were suspected to be trapped in the basement of the collapsed building, while four people had been rescued. Around 30 personnel from the NDRF and the MCD were engaged in the rescue operation, he said.
The death toll changed repeatedly through Saturday as bodies were recovered from the debris — from three in the morning to four by midday and six by the evening. The figure of six, with all victims named, is the latest police update. The suspected cause — supports removed too early and unauthorised upper floors — is an initial assessment by officials at the scene, not a completed inquiry.
How the toll rose
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Thursday morning, 5 Nov | Building collapses in Gali Sheesh Mahal, Chawri Bazar; two bodies recovered, two people rescued alive |
| Friday, 6 Nov | Rescue operation continues; three contractors arrested |
| Saturday morning, 7 Nov | Third body recovered and identified as Pankaj Sharma, 40 |
| Saturday, 7 Nov | Fourth body recovered; toll rises to four |
| Saturday evening, 7 Nov | Toll reaches six, all victims identified; building owner arrested; two MCD engineers suspended |
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly did the building collapse?
In Gali Sheesh Mahal, Gali Shehatara, near Ajmeri Gate in the Chawri Bazar area of Old Delhi, close to the Chawri Bazaar Metro station. The building was a three-storey structure under construction, at the end of a dead-end lane barely three feet wide.
Who died in the collapse?
Six people: Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu and Dinesh Sah. Five were from Bihar and one, Vipin Ram, was from Delhi. Two other people were rescued alive with injuries.
Who has been arrested?
Four people: the building's owner, Saimullah, also known as Ayub, and three contractors, Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan. An FIR has been registered at Hauz Qazi police station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
What is believed to have caused the collapse?
Officials at the scene said a four-storey structure had been built on a small plot and the temporary supports, known as centring, may have been removed while the concrete was still wet. Unauthorised construction on the second and third floors is suspected to have given way. Police have said the construction was illegal and the building unsafe; a full inquiry is under way.
What happens next?
The police investigation continues, and those arrested face proceedings under the FIR registered at Hauz Qazi police station. The MCD has suspended two of its engineers, and the chief minister has said strict action will be taken against those responsible.
Key takeaways
- Six people were killed when an under-construction building collapsed in Delhi's Chawri Bazar on Thursday morning; all six have been identified.
- The building's owner and three contractors have been arrested, and an FIR has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
- Officials suspect temporary supports were removed too early and unauthorised upper floors gave way; a full inquiry is under way.
- Two municipal engineers have been suspended, and Delhi's chief minister has promised strict action against those responsible.
The investigation will now test how an illegal, unsafe structure was allowed to rise in one of Old Delhi's most crowded lanes — and whether accountability stops at the owner and contractors, or reaches those who were meant to police construction.
