New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that a mobile phone jammer was installed at the site of the Satya Niketan building collapse so that the trapped students and locals could not communicate information about the incident to the outside, and that the number of casualties could be concealed.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Delhi AAP State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “How would someone trapped in a cavity of debris call for help when mobile signals have been jammed? Who ordered the installation of mobile jammers at Satya Niketan PG students' building? Why did NDRF take 2-3 hours to reach in the middle of Delhi? Why were government ambulances two hours late? Will Delhi University students take up this matter?”
“It is often seen in incidents such as building collapses that people trapped under the rubble call their relatives, share their location and seek help. But the shocking aspect of the Satya Niketan accident is that the administration’s first action was to jam mobile signals. Jammers were installed there, due to which neither local residents could call an ambulance or seek help, nor could anyone trapped under the rubble contact anyone,” he alleged.
The AAP Delhi unit chief further stated, “The administration’s ambulance arrived two hours after the incident, while the first ambulance to reach the site was a private Blinkit ambulance. Relief and rescue operations also began with a delay of around two to two-and-a-half hours, while the NDRF team arrived three hours late.”
However, the Delhi Police has categorically rejected these allegations. A post from the Delhi Police’s official handle on X says, “Rumours of mobile jammers at the Satya Niketan rescue site are completely FALSE.”
When asked about the Delhi Police’s clarification, Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “Delhi Police is lying. I was there, along with hundreds of people. Let the Delhi Police officials come, and let the Commissioner and Rekha Gupta come with us to Satya Niketan. Phones were not working there after the incident. Without following due process, the connection at a disaster site was illegally jammed.”
“In such accidents, people can sometimes survive inside the rubble and make phone calls from within to seek help and rescue. But the BJP government closed off that avenue too by installing a jammer. It was done only so that the children trapped under the rubble could not call people they knew and so that the outside world would not find out how many people were actually trapped. This is such a cruel government. Today, people hate the Delhi Police," he added.
Meanwhile, SC appointed amicus curiae Ajit Kumar Sinha has urged the Supreme Court to extend its building-inspection exercise to PGs, private hostels and student accommodations across Delhi, following the September 6 Satya Niketan collapse that killed seven.
His report noted that Satya Niketan had witnessed a similar collapse in April 2022, killing two, and flagged this "recurrence" as raising concerns over inspection and enforcement mechanisms. Construction work and waterlogging were reported in the basement before the latest collapse.
The amicus has sought a time-bound safety audit covering sanctioned plans, unauthorised floors, basement alterations, structural and fire safety, and dangerous conditions. The Supreme Court had earlier ordered inspections in Lajpat Nagar, Saket and Malviya Nagar, but not Satya Niketan.
Delhi Police have registered an FIR alleging the building's owners, Hari Bansal and his brother, added four floors for rental income despite load-bearing concerns, with fresh construction underway at the time of collapse.
Meanwhile, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta visited AIIMS to meet the injured, assuring medical care and financial assistance to victims' families, and said the state government would provide the best possible medical care and financial assistance to the families of the victims.
Meanwhile, on the allegations regarding the inclusion of Raghav Chadha's name in Delhi's draft voter list, Bhardwaj said, "This is not merely an allegation; it is a fact. The draft electoral roll from the first phase of the SIR on August 31 shows that at the booth in Rajinder Nagar where Raghav Chadha used to reside, there were only 746 voters... Now, I observe that his vote has suddenly reappeared at a booth in Rajinder Nagar, and his serial number is 747. We want to know from both the Election Commission and Raghav Chadha how this happened. If there is a specific procedure involved, please let us know." (ANI)
“Who ordered mobile jammers?”: Saurabh Bhardwaj alleges signal jamming at Satya Niketan collapse site; Delhi Police rejects claim
