New Delhi: Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) Vice-President Deepanshu Shokeen on Tuesday submitted a representation to the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, raising four urgent demands on student safety, accommodation and justice in the aftermath of the Satya Niketan building collapse, according to a statement.
Shokeen, an independent candidate who won the vice-president's post in the recently concluded DUSU elections, sought immediate steps towards an effective rent-control mechanism for private paying guest (PG) accommodations, a time-bound plan to expand hostel facilities, a comprehensive safety audit of PGs, and appropriate compensation and financial assistance for families of students who have lost their lives, including those affected by the Satya Niketan tragedy.
In the representation, Shokeen urged the university administration to provide a clear response and a time-bound action plan, emphasising that student safety, dignity and basic rights must remain a priority.
"Our students deserve safety. Our families deserve justice. And our voices deserve to be heard," Shokeen said in a statement.
The demands come amid heightened scrutiny of student housing in Delhi following the collapse of a five-storey building in Satya Niketan in early September, used as a PG, which killed at least seven people, including five Delhi University students, and exposed unsafe living conditions for thousands of outstation students.
During the DUSU election campaign, student safety and affordable, secure accommodation emerged as key issues, with candidates across panels calling for functional hostels, regulation of high PG rents and stricter enforcement of building and fire-safety norms in student-dense areas.
Shokeen, who had earlier led a barefoot protest after the Satya Niketan incident, has consistently highlighted the hostel crunch and the lack of an effective regulatory framework for private student housing.
The university has not yet issued an official response to the representation.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.