PG Safety in DUSU Elections: Student Welfare or Political Opportunism?

The tragic Satya Niketan PG collapse has rightly pushed student safety into the centre of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election debate. Seven people died in the collapse, and the incident has raised serious questions about unsafe private accommodation, construction practices and the shortage of affordable university hostels. DU has only around 9,000 hostel beds for more than 2.5 lakh students, forcing many students to depend on private PGs and rented accommodation.

The issue becomes controversial when political organisations turn a tragedy into an election campaign weapon. ABVP has demanded safety audits of PGs and accountability from civic authorities, which are legitimate demands. NSUI and other student groups have also attempted to engage with affected students. But the bigger question is: where were these organisations before a disaster occurred? If student safety suddenly becomes the biggest election issue only after seven lives are lost, students have every right to question whether genuine concern or electoral politics is driving the campaign.

At the same time, criticising student organisations for raising the issue would also be unfair. Elections are precisely when candidates should be forced to answer difficult questions. Instead of merely visiting grieving students, ABVP, NSUI and other candidates should publish concrete plans—how many hostels will they demand, how will unsafe PGs be identified, and what mechanism will students have to report dangerous buildings? DU has already tightened security and campaign norms ahead of the September 18 election.

The real danger is turning dead students into political posters while forgetting them once voting ends. Student safety should not belong to ABVP, NSUI or any political camp—it belongs to every student. If candidates genuinely care, they should fight for safer accommodation throughout their term, not just during elections.

The uncomfortable question is simple: Is the PG tragedy finally forcing student politics to discuss safety—or is another tragedy simply being converted into another vote bank?