3 contractors arrested after Chawri Bazar building collapse kills two

Delhi Police has arrested three contractors in connection with the collapse of an under-construction building in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar that killed two people and injured two others on Thursday, officials aware of the matter said on Friday.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visits Chawri Bazar building collapsed accident site to review rescue and relief operations, in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, November 5, 2026. ( HT PHOTO)Police said the three men, who have been booked under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), were arrested from Sirohi village in Faridabad’s Dauj tehsil.

Deputy commissioner of police (central) Rohit Rajbir Singh identified the accused as Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan, all residents of the Ajmeri Gate area. Their full names were not immediately available. The arrests come amid questions over how construction continued at the site despite the building allegedly having no sanctioned plan and Delhi Police having alerted the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) about construction activity in the area nearly five months before the collapse.

The building, a ground-plus-three-floor structure in Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazar Metro station, collapsed in two stages around 9.30am on Thursday. The lintel of the third floor reportedly gave way while concrete work was underway, followed by the collapse of the remaining floors within 15 to 20 minutes.

Two workers, Kishori, 40, and Sanjeet, 45, died, while two others sustained injuries. The collapse also exposed serious enforcement lapses. In a letter dated June 15, the station house officer of Hauz Qazi police station had alerted the deputy commissioner of MCD’s City SP Zone about new residential construction spread over around 70 square yards at property number 4547-48 in Wali Sheesh Mahal, Ajmeri Gate, and sought action.

MCD acknowledged receiving the communication but said its subsequent inspection found the owner undertaking repair work that its maintenance department had advised in April. In its inquiry, the civic body alleged that the owner used the repair advisory as a cover to clandestinely undertake fresh construction on the second and third floors without the requisite permissions.

The MCD inquiry report also flagged the property’s tax declarations, alleging that excess floor coverage had been declared with the mala fide intention of misleading the authorities and claiming protection under laws applicable to older structures.

The rescue operation on Thursday was hampered by the extremely narrow lanes of the walled city, which prevented heavy machinery from reaching the site. Fire personnel and other rescue teams had to rely largely on manual debris removal.

Residents of neighbouring buildings were evacuated after police warned that one adjoining structure was in a precarious condition. Chief minister Rekha Gupta ordered the immediate suspension of the junior engineer and assistant engineer concerned, a detailed inquiry and an FIR against the contractor.

She also directed officials to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured and provide ex-gratia assistance to the victims’ families. Police are continuing their investigation into the construction activity and the circumstances leading to the collapse.

Hemani Bhandari is a Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in New Delhi, where she reports on crime, policing, governance and social issues. With over a decade of experience in journalism, she specialises in combining on-ground reporting with evidence-based storytelling to examine the human impact of public policy, law enforcement and urban governance.

Over the years, she has reported extensively on major developments in the capital, including crime investigations, civic challenges, protests, and issues affecting vulnerable communities. As a Special Correspondent, she focuses on producing exclusive investigations, enterprise stories and long-form features that go beyond daily news cycles.

She has a keen interest in using public records, official data and field reporting to uncover systemic issues and present complex subjects in an accessible manner. A graduate of the Asian College of Journalism, Hemani believes in rigorous, ethical and evidence-based reporting.

She is passionate about investigative journalism and continuously seeks to expand her skills in data journalism, open-source investigations and digital reporting techniques.Read More