New Delhi: Streets of Old Rajinder Nagar witnessed a massive protest on Sunday evening as thousands of students marched in demand of justice for the three UPSC aspirants who lost their lives due to flooding and poor state of basic civic facilities in the basement of Rao's IAS Coaching Centre in the national capital.
The incident took place in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area on Saturday evening after the UPSC aspirants died after the basement of a building housing a coaching centre was flooded due to a drain burst following heavy rains.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena slammed the administration for the tragedy and said "What has been happening is unpardonable and such issues can no more be glossed over".
Delhi Fire Department received a call about waterlogging from Rau's IAS Study Circle at around 7 pm on Saturday about the basement of the coaching institute being flooded.
"The caller told them that there was a possibility that some people were trapped. We are investigating how the entire basement was flooded. It appeared that the basement got flooded very fast due to which some people were trapped inside," DCP (Central Delhi) M Harshavardhan told reporters.
A fire department official said that a total of five tenders were rushed to the site. The basement was full of water when they arrived. The bodies of two female students and a male student were retrieved from the site during the rescue operation by the NDRF, local police and fire department, the official said.
The three deceased students were identified as Shreya Yadav, a native of Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh; Tanya Soni, whose permanent address is Telangana, and Nivin Dalwin, a resident of Kerala's Ernakulam. The rescue operation continued past midnight.
AAP’s Rajinder Nagar MLA Durgesh Pathak alleged that the incident had happened due to a drain burst. “Here a drain has burst at one point due, due to which this issue has occurred. Pumps have been placed to remove the water, had it been due to lack of desilting then the water would have accumulated in other buildings as well, but the basement of only one building has been submerged because the drain brust at only one point,” Pathak said.
Criminal Case Registered
The Delhi Police has registered a criminal case and asserted that it is determined to find out the truth in the tragic incident. DCP Harshavardhan said, "We have registered a criminal case. Our forensic teams are here. The process of collecting forensic evidence is underway. We are committed to the fact that we should have a proper investigation. We are committed to registering a strong case and finding out the truth."
"The NDRF recovered three bodies. These have been sent for further legal action...Some trapped students have been rescued and three of them have been sent to the hospital. Other than the three dead bodies, 13 to 14 others were rescued and they are fine," the DCP said.
Owner, Coordinator Of Coaching Centre Arrested
The owner and the coordinator of the coaching centre were arrested on Sunday even as protests erupted in the area over the incident. According to officials, the coaching institute had permission to use the basement as a store room, but it was being used as library which is a violation of the rules.
Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg said the institute was functioning in violation of the norms of the fire department. "The building has fire NOC, but in the NOC they had shown the basement will be used as store room. The management of the institute was using the same room as a classroom or library which is a violation of the NOC," PTI reported quoting Garg.
The arrested accused have been identified as Abhishek Gupta, owner of the coaching centre, and Deshpal Singh, the centre's coordinator.
What Exactly Happened
Preliminary investigation suggests that the basement housed a library where several students were present. Water suddenly started flooding the basement. Ropes were used to evacuate the trapped students, the officials said. The furniture in the coaching centre started floating when it was flooded and this created obstruction in the rescue operation, a police officer said.
Eyewitnesses told the media that the basement filled with 10-12 feet of water in almost no time, giving students no chance to escape. As per the MET department, Old Rajinder Nagar, had reported 31.5 mm of rain between 5.30 PM and 8.30 PM.
Earlier this week, a 26-year-old civil services aspirant was electrocuted after he touched an iron gate that had electricity running through it following heavy rain in central Delhi's Patel Nagar area.
Students Protest
Students held a protest over the deaths of the civil services aspirants, raising slogans against authorities. Aman Shukla, a UPSC aspirant said, "We demand that firstly, all these libraries in basements which are there illegally, need to be shut down. MCD should see where is the issue, this is not the first time the water has been logged here. Last time when it rained, cars were floating (in water). In one year, they haven't done anything... no senior official has visited this place till now..."
"Our demand is that action should be taken against those responsible for this negligence. All these things opened in the basement here are being operated illegally and there are no safety measures. So all these things need to be stopped and action should be taken...", another UPSC aspirant said.
Additional DCP Sachin Sharma was seen pacifying the protesting students who were raising slogans against the administration and the MCD. "Three people have died. Why will we hide anything? We assure you that we will do whatever is legally possible. The investigation is on...," Sharma told the students.
Delhi L-G's Offers Condolences, Seeks Full Report By July 30
Reacting to the tragedy, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said he was deeply anguished by the death of three Civil Services aspirants due to water logging in the basement of the coaching centre and that of another student due to water logging-related electrocution.
"That this should happen in the Capital of India is most unfortunate & unacceptable," the L-G said in a series of posts on X.
"Reportedly 7 other citizens have died due to electrocution in the past few days. My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I have been keeping a close watch over the situation & followed the rescue operations by Delhi Police & Delhi Fire personnel etc personally. These incidents clearly points towards criminal neglect & failure of basic maintenance & administration by concerned agencies & departments," he said.
What has been happening is unpardonable and such issues can no more be glossed over. I have asked the Divisional Commissioner to submit a report, covering every aspect of the tragic incident by Tuesday.
— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) July 28, 2024
Saxena said that the drainage and related infrastructure in the capital city required efforts and endeavours to address as they had "apparently collapsed". "It is indicative of the larger malaise of misgovernance that Delhi has been subjected to during the last decade or so," he said slamming the AAP-led Delhi government.
"The role of coaching institutions and landlords in not ensuring basic safety of students, who pay hefty fees and rents, away from their homes needs to be looked into," he said in another post.
"What has been happening is unpardonable and such issues can no more be glossed over. I have asked the Divisional Commissioner to submit a report, covering every aspect of the tragic incident by Tuesday. While nothing can bring back the precious young lives lost due to apathy of the administration and criminal misconsuct of those running coaching institutions, responsibility of those who caused the loss of lives, will be fixed and guilty will be brought to book," the L-G said.
Magisterial Inquiry Ordered
Revenue Minister Atishi directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to initiate an inquiry and submit a report within 24 hours on the incident. "A magisterial inquiry has been ordered to investigate how this incident happened. Whoever is responsible for this incident will not be spared," Atishi posted on X.
दिल्ली में शाम हुई भारी बारिश के कारण एक दुर्घटना की खबर है
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) July 27, 2024
राजेंद्र नगर में एक कोचिंग इंस्टीट्यूट की बेसमेंट में पानी भरने के की खबर है
दिल्ली फायर विभाग और NDRF मौके पर है। दिल्ली की मेयर और स्थानीय विधायक भी वहाँ पर हैं। मैं हर मिनट घटना की खबर ले रहीं हूं।
ये घटना कैसे…
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj visited the site and blamed the AAP administration for the incident, saying the local MLA had ignored repeated appeals by locals to get the drains cleaned.
"Delhi Government's criminal negligence is responsible for this mishap. Jal Board Minister Atishi and local MLA Durgesh Pathak should take responsibility and resign," Sachdeva said.
Mayor Directs Action Against Coaching Centres Running Libraries in Basement
Mayor Shelly Oberoi has directed the MCD Commissioner that strict action should be taken against all such coaching centres across Delhi which are under the jurisdiction of MCD and running commercial activities in basements which are in violation of building bye-laws and are not as per norms.
She said that an immediate inquiry should be conducted to identify if any officers of MCD are responsible for the tragedy. If any official is found guilty, the strongest possible action be taken against them, the Mayor said.
AAP MP Swati Maliwal's Reaction
Rajya Sabha Member from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Swati Maliwal expressed shock after three UPSC aspirants died from flooding in the basement of a popular coaching centre at Old Rajendra Nagar. Maliwal termed this incident to be “not a disaster but a murder.” An FIR must be lodged in this regard, she asserted.
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