In DUSU election, Satya Niketan building collapse, turns common cause for rivals

The ramifications of the building collapse in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan that killed five students, will be a common thread running through rival campaigns for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections scheduled for September 18, representatives of students’ organisations said on Friday.

The organisations will demand steps to address the varsity’s chronic shortage of accommodation for students, as well as concerns over the safety of students and affordability of hostel rooms , these representatives said on a day they announced their candidates for the DUSU elections. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), and the left alliance of All India Students’ Association (AISA) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI) will contest four DUSU posts in the election.

More than half of the university’s 251,474 students enrolled in conventional programmes are estimated to require hostel accommodation.

But the available official pool is only a measly 7,224 hostel beds . Students take refuge in hubs like Satya Niketan that have emerged due to this perennial problem, where relatively affordable options are limited to cramped, unsanitary rooms, often in rickety buildings that violate the rules.

The ABVP, which is aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party that rules Delhi, said it would extend a campaign it had launched after the building collapse on September 6 to the DUSU polls .

It had sought the resignation of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s commissioner over the incident.

“The Satya Niketan incident has also brought the urgent need for safe PGs and student accommodation into focus. Through the ‘Aakhir Kab Tak?’ campaign and ‘No more Satya Niketan.in’ website, we are continuing to raise this issue. Our campaign will remain focused on genuine student concerns and finding practical solutions to them,” ABVP Delhi secretary Sarthak Sharma said.

Sharma told HT the ABVP’s manifesto will focus on how DU needs more hostel rooms. “We will raise this demand, apart from rent control of PGs and hostels, as well as audit of students’ accommodation by the MCD. We continue to demand the MCD commissioner’s resignation,” he added.

Rival NSUI, aligned with the opposition Congress, said their manifesto will “present a comprehensive vision for Delhi University – from affordable accommodation and better infrastructure to student safety, and academic opportunities.”

In a statement, NSUI’s national president Vinod Jhakar said, “The Satya Niketan tragedy has once again raised serious questions about student safety and institutional accountability.