The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress on Monday (September 7) protested against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government over the building collapse in Satya Niketan that killed seven people. 

AAP staged a protest in Satya Niketan, demanding that the BJP government release a list of people who own paying guest (PG) accommodation in the area. 

AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned who was operating the “PG mafia”, why action was not being taken against illegal PGs and whether influential BJP leaders had financial interests in them. He asked how Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) engineers or police personnel could act against illegal PGs if powerful political figures were running them. 

Mr. Bharadwaj alleged that people on social media had, since Sunday, been claiming that several senior BJP leaders owned properties in the area. “The exploitation of students through expensive PG accommodations, and the MCD’s failure to act against it, is linked to the fact that influential leaders have invested heavily in properties there,” he said. 

He said suspending a single Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner would not solve the problem. “The names of influential BJP leaders whose money is invested here, resulting in the exploitation of students, must be made public,” he said. 

Mr. Bharadwaj also said the Central government must build hostels for students in the area. “Until hostels are constructed and allotted to students, the government should pay students’ PG fees. Only then will the government have an incentive to build hostels quickly, otherwise, it will not,” he said. 

‘Justice for victims’

Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav staged a sit-in at the site of the collapse, demanding justice for the injured and the families of those killed. 

Mr. Yadav alleged that corruption in the BJP-led system was responsible for the collapse. He questioned who had permitted repairs to be carried out in the basement of the 50-year-old, five-storey building without safety arrangements after the basement was flooded, and alleged administrative irresponsibility and corruption. 

“The Congress’s protest against the Rekha Gupta government will continue till strict action is taken against the culprits and justice is done to the injured and the families of the deceased students. Municipal Commissioner should resign taking responsibility for the collapse as repeat of such mishaps happen due to corruption in the MCD, from top to bottom,” Mr. Yadav said. 

Govt. responds

Responding to the Opposition’s allegations, Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood said, “We are concerned about the safety of the children and about fixing the rotten system that the ‘A-team’ and ‘B-team’ have built up within this administration over the last 27 years. The focus must be on what action needs to be taken.”

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) demanded that the Prime Minister make Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign, withdraw all the cases foisted by the police against the youth and students protesting in New Delhi and tender an unconditional apology on the excesses committed against the protesters seeking action in the NEET question paper leakage issue.

Speaking at a protest organised by the BRS student wing, BRS Vidyarthi, at Indira Park here on Friday to express solidarity with students protesting in Delhi on the NEET question paper leakage issue, working president of BRS K.T. Rama Rao said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was playing with fire by trying to suppress the voice of Gen Z. He condemned the attempts to brand the protesters as terrorists, anti-nationals and anti-social elements.

Had the Centre been sincere, it would have already held dialogue with the protesters several times to resolve the issue instead of resorting to oppression and intimidation. There was no leader or the party behind the protesting youth and students, the BRS leader said, adding that voluntary support in the form of various means was an indication of the growing unrest among the youth against the Union Government.

Stating that the country was witnessing a dangerous trend in which those demanding accountability were being targeted instead of those responsible for the failures, Mr. Rama Rao said the voice of India’s youth could not be silenced through force or intimidation and asserted that every attempt to suppress democratic dissent would only strengthen such a movement.

Turning to the State government, he said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was helping divert public attention from the Centre’s failures and alleged that instead of leading a united fight against the Centre on an issue affecting students across the country, Mr. Reddy had chosen to target the BRS for political gains.

He accused Mr. Revanth Reddy of displaying double standards by avoiding any confrontation with the BJP while attempting to divert attention through attacks on the opposition.

The parents of Radha Gayatri, who died under suspicious circumstances in a hotel in Mussoorie, Dehradun, met Commissioner of Police Shankhabratha Bagchi on Saturday (June 27, 2026) to seek his help.

During the meeting, Gayatri’s father, Sudhakar, briefed the Commissioner on the complete sequence of events related to the incident and requested the support of the Visakhapatnam police in ensuring proper coordination with the Uttarakhand authorities.

The Commissioner spoke with Uttarakhand police officials and assured them of full support in the case. He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and assured them that the Visakhapatnam police would extend all possible assistance to ensure justice.