Kerala baker’s death in Delhi building collapse flags illegal construction, owner booked

Sateesh, the 50-year-old man from Palakkad, who died in a building collapse in Delhi on Tuesday had done odd jobs, worked in other shops before he opened his own bakery five years ago. Heavy construction materials dumped on an old kutcha roof caused the structural collapse of a building at Tahirpur, Delhi.

Sateesh, who ran a bakery on the ground floor of the building, was crushed when the roof collapsed. Two others trapped in the debris were rescued by the Delhi Fire Services (DFS); one succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, while the third escaped with minor injuries.

While Sateesh's wife, Sabitha, who works as a tailor, and their daughter, Aiswarya, a PhD scholar at the University of Delhi, grieve his loss, serious questions of negligence have surfaced.

The GTB Enclave Police Station, which is probing the case, has registered a criminal case of death by negligence against the building owner, SHO Brijesh Mishra told Onmanorama.

While initial reports suggested that construction work was underway, police said the fatal collapse was caused by structural failure worsened by the storage of building materials. "It was a very old house with the iron rods in a disintegrating condition," the officer said. "The owner had brought in bricks and other materials to begin the renovation, though active construction had not yet started," he added.

"The bakery was the only operational shop on the ground floor," said Sathyabalan, secretary of the Palakkad Collective, Malayali Association. "When the roof gave way, the debris fell directly on Sateesh and those inside. He was killed on the spot," he said.

"Sateesh's body was taken to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, where doctors officially declared him dead. After a postmortem examination at GTB Hospital, the body was taken for embalming. It will later be taken to Coimbatore and is expected to reach there around 10.30 pm on Wednesday. NORKA will arrange an ambulance to transport the body from Coimbatore to Palakkad. The funeral will be held at his house on Thursday," Sathyabalan added.

According to Sateesh's relative Ajesh,Sateesh along with his family had been living in Delhi for 25 years.

"Sateesh went to Delhi before his marriage in search of jobs. After working at a couple of places, he opened his own bakery five to six years ago in Dilshad Garden," he told Onmanorama.