Family donates corneas of child who died in Delhi’s Satya Niketan PG collapse

Amid the grief of losing their son, who lost his life in the building collapse in Satya Niketan area, Arpit's family made a decision to donate his corneas.

Updated on: Sep 7, 2026, 15:29:37 IST

By Ridhima Gupta

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The family of 18-year-old Arpit Jai, who died in the Satya Niketan PG building collapse, decided to donate his corneas, giving someone the gift of sight amid the tragedy.

A native of Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas, Arpit had only recently returned to his PG accommodation after celebrating the Rakshabandhan holidays.

Amid the grief of losing their young son, Arpit's family made a selfless decision to donate his corneas.

Follow live updates on the Delhi building collapse here.

Father regrets sending him to PG

His father, Bhupendra Jai, said, "My son had just returned from our hometown after the Rakshabandhan holidays. He had reached back to his PG yesterday morning, and the next time we saw is his dead body."

He added, "Everyone is telling us how bad the condition of the PG. I wish my son had told me before. I would have never let him stay there."

Also Read | 'Zero tolerance': MCD deputy commissioner among 5 officials suspended after Satya Niketan building collapse

What the victim's friend said

One of Arpit’s friends said that when his family reached the hospital and saw his body, they found it difficult to identify him due to the severity of his injuries.

"On Monday morning, the hospital (AIIMS) informed us that there is a body that matched the identity we were showing, but when we went to identify we could not identify it as the body was badly injured," the friend said.

"At around 6:30 am, his family reached, and finally they were able to do the identification of Arpit. The mother confirmed it by birthmarks on his body," the friend added.

He further said that they searched for Arpit the entire night but could not locate him. "We were looking for him the entire night and could not find him at all, and finally we were told that he is no more."

Also Read | Absconding Delhi PG owner held from Rajasthan, day after building collapse

Owner of building held

The owner of the building in Satya Niketan that collapsed was apprehended from Rajasthan's Bhiwadi area on Monday, the police said.

Meanwhile, Delhi CMO, on X (formerly Twitter), informed that as per the directions of chief minister Rekha Gupta MCD deputy commissioner, executive engineer, superintending engineer, assistant engineer, and junior engineer were suspended.

Earlier on Sunday, following an on-site review and based on the preliminary assessment, the CM had ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ridhima Gupta
Ridhima Gupta is a Principal Correspondent at Hindustan Times, where she covers healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and public health policy. Her reporting centers on Delhi’s major hospitals (AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lok Nayak), the state health department, and emerging medical trends. Ridhima is particularly interested in reporting on healthcare issues through the lens of women, children, and persons with disabilities. Her work often explores the intersection of healthcare and public policy, examining how these factors shape access health care. Based in New Delhi, many of her reports have led to direct government action over the years, in different city. Earlier this year, she completed a media training workshop on the Impact of Extreme Heat on Health, organised by the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), further strengthening her interest in reporting on the intersection of climate change and public health. A postgraduate from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Ridhima has around a decade of experience in journalism. She began her career as a trainee television reporter with Mirror Now in Mumbai and has since worked across multiple cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, contributing to both print and broadcast newsrooms. She is a recipient of the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022) for her reporting on education, disability, and women’s issues. Before joining Hindustan Times, Ridhima worked with The Times of India, New Indian Express and News18. A native of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Ridhima completed her undergraduate studies in Biotechnology. And when she is not working as a journalist she likes to paint and go on nature hikes.Read More

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