‘Will make you proud one day': Student killed in collapse had promised his dad

For Akshat Singh Yadav and Arpit Jai, Delhi was supposed to be a city of possibilities, a place to study, build a career and turn dreams into reality. Instead, the Satya Niketan building collapse on Sunday brought their lives to a sudden end, leaving two families in Madhya Pradesh shattered as they returned home with only memories of their sons whose journeys had barely begun. Akshat (17), a second-year student of Delhi University's Pannalal Girdharlal Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College, had promised to make his father proud one day. 'His last words were, 'Dad I will make you proud',' said his father Manta Singh Yadav, outside AIIMS-Delhi, where he had come to collect his son's body on Monday. Like Akshat, Arpit, barely 18, had just returned to Delhi after celebrating Rakshabandhan with his family in Madhya Pradesh. Both young men were staying at the ill-fated Hostel Daze PG when the building came crashing down. Even in the midst of their grief, Arpit's family made the decision to donate his corneas, offering hope to others through tragedy. AIIMS-Delhi confirmed the donation, along with the corneas of another victim of the collapse. Scenes at AIIMS Trauma Centre were heart-rending as Akshat's family who had rushed from Katni after learning of his death, struggled to come to terms with the loss. As she waited to see his body, Akshat's sister Lichi stood in stunned silence. His mother recalled their last video call, made just two days before the collapse. 'Look at my misfortune. I have had to see my dead child, the child I nurtured in my womb for nine months and raised in these arms,' she said, breaking down. She said everyone back home had wanted Akshat to stay longer after Rakshabandhan but he insisted upon returning saying his ticket had already been booked. A keen reader who regularly participated in quizzes and academic competitions, Akshat was preparing for the UPSC examination. His father said teachers often praised his academic abilities. He would tell his father: 'Dad, one day I will become an officer and make you proud.' Now, that dream will remain unfulfilled. Akshat's mother said she would cling to the memories he left behind, including his excitement over a Rs 2,500 sword recently bought for him. Interested in fencing, Akshat had been eager to use it. 'He asked me to make sure Lichi saw it before we put it away,' she said. Distraught and searching for answers, Yadav questioned how buildings housing students could operate without regular safety inspections. 'We had no idea this building could turn into a killer,' he said. For the family of Arpit Jai of Dewas, the shock is too huge to be absorbed. His father Bhupendra Jai said Arpit had reached his PG on Saturday morning. 'The next time we saw him, he was dead,' he said. The family has since learned from others about the poor condition of the building. 'Everyone is telling us now how bad the condition of the PG was. I wish my son had told me earlier. I would never have allowed him to stay there,' Jai said. The search for Arpit continued through the night after the collapse. Friends who remained at the site desperately hoping for news were unable to locate him. When the hospital informed them on Monday morning that a body appeared to match Arpit's identity, his friends and family initially struggled to identify him because of the severity of his injuries. At around 6.30 am, his mother finally identified him through birthmarks on the body. And yet in the thick of their grief, Bhupendra Jai and his wife decided to donate Arpit's corneas to give another life a chance.