Family Donates Corneas of 18-Year-Old Killed in Satya Niketan PG Collapse
In the wake of a fatal paying guest building collapse in Satya Niketan, the family of 18-year-old student Arpit Jai decided to donate his corneas following his death in the tragedy. The decision to provide the gift of sight came even as his family and friends endured a harrowing search to identify him at the hospital.
Arpit, a native of Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, had only recently returned to his PG accommodation after celebrating the Rakshabandhan holidays with his family. His father, Bhupendra Jai, expressed profound grief over the state of the building, stating that his son had arrived at the accommodation just yesterday morning before the tragedy occurred. The father stated that others had later told the family how bad the condition of the PG was, adding that he would never have allowed his son to stay there had he been told earlier.
A friend of the victim said acquaintances searched for Arpit through the night before AIIMS hospital notified them on Monday morning that a body matching his description had been received. Due to the severity of the injuries sustained in the collapse, friends were initially unable to identify him. Arpit's family arrived at AIIMS at around 6:30 a.m., where his mother finally confirmed his identity by identifying birthmarks on his body.
Amid the loss of their young son, the family made the decision to donate Arpit's corneas to grant sight to a recipient.
Following the incident, police moved to locate those responsible for the collapsed structure. The owner of the Satya Niketan building was apprehended from Rajasthan's Bhiwadi area on Monday.
Administrative action was also taken against civic officials overseeing the area. The Delhi Chief Minister's Office announced on X that, under directions from Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, five Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials were suspended, including a deputy commissioner, a superintending engineer, an executive engineer, an assistant engineer, and a junior engineer. The suspensions followed a magisterial inquiry ordered by the Chief Minister on Sunday after an on-site preliminary assessment.
