The Chawri Bazaar building collapse in Old Delhi killed two people and injured four others on Thursday, while several people were feared trapped under the debris, according to police. The three-storey structure was under construction in the congested Chandni Chowk area when it collapsed, prompting a police response and an investigation ordered by the Delhi government.
The incident has also triggered a political dispute over construction safety and enforcement in the capital. Aam Aadmi Party Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that corruption in multiple government departments and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had allowed unsafe construction to continue despite repeated safety audits. His allegations were made in a post on X and were not independently established in the report.
Bharadwaj questioned why buildings were continuing to collapse in Delhi despite safety audits. He alleged that departments including the Delhi Police, MCD, Fire Department and sub-divisional magistrate offices were accepting bribes instead of taking action against unauthorised construction. He also alleged selective sealing of buildings, citing gyms in Greater Kailash-2 as an example. The allegations were directed at the government led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the MCD.
The MCD said no building plan had been approved for the plot where the collapse occurred. According to an MCD official cited in the report, the plot measured about 50 square metres and the civic body had received no complaint about construction at the site. The building work had reportedly been stopped around 15 days before the collapse.
MCD officials said workers were removing the support system beneath the roof when the structure fell. They also said the construction material did not meet engineering standards and had not been properly set. The civic explanation identified these conditions as a possible reason for the collapse, although the investigation will determine the precise cause.
The incident has placed attention on the difficulty of regulating construction in Old Delhi, where narrow lanes, dense commercial activity and ageing structures complicate inspections and emergency response. The immediate facts supplied by the MCD indicate that the structure had no approved building plan, while the political allegations concern whether enforcement and safety-audit mechanisms are functioning effectively across the city.
Following the collapse, the MCD suspended an assistant engineer and a junior engineer. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered an investigation and directed that a first information report be registered against the contractor. The police and civic authorities are expected to establish responsibility, assess the construction practices at the site and complete rescue and relief operations for anyone still trapped.
