A multi-storey commercial building collapsed near Saket Metro Station in south New Delhi on the evening of Saturday, May 30, sending rescue teams scrambling through rubble as victims remained trapped inside. Six people were killed and eight others injured in the incident, which occurred at around 7:40 p.m. on Westend Marg in the Saidulajab area. Most of the victims were students preparing for competitive examinations, including the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE). Five of the injured later succumbed to their wounds at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), while another died at Safdarjung Hospital.
The building, which housed a coaching centre, cafes and offices, stood in a neighbourhood well known for its concentration of study institutes, libraries, hostels and eateries catering to students pursuing medical, engineering and other professional qualifications. Nine people were rescued from the rubble during the operation, while families of other occupants waited anxiously for news of their relatives. By Monday, June 1, rescue and debris-clearance operations had entered their final stage, though Delhi Fire Service teams remained deployed at the site as a precaution, with officials pledging to clear "every single inch" of the area before standing down.
Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) — the formal complaint that initiates a criminal investigation under Indian law — against the building's owner under charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligent conduct related to building construction, and acts endangering life. The owner remains at large, and multiple police teams have been formed to trace and make an arrest. Separately, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has suspended an assistant engineer and a junior engineer over alleged lapses in building supervision. Investigators are examining whether structural weaknesses, ongoing construction activity on the upper floors, or violations of building norms caused the collapse.
Building collapses are a recurring concern in Indian cities, where rapid urban growth has at times outpaced enforcement of safety regulations. The Saket incident has renewed scrutiny of oversight mechanisms for commercial buildings in densely populated student districts, and authorities face pressure to act swiftly both in completing the rescue operation and in holding those responsible to account.