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NEW DELHI: Absence of drainage system and safety measures, and use of basement for commercial activities in violation of norms led to the death of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area, officials and students said on Sunday.
The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested the owner and the coordinator of the coaching centre -- Rau's IAS Study Circle -- and booked them for culpable homicide and other charges, a Delhi Court send them to 14-day judicial custody.
A political blame game began as the BJP and the Congress attacked the AAP government, calling the incident a "murder".
Shreya Yadav of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala died after the basement of a building housing the coaching institute was flooded following heavy rain on Saturday evening.
Students alleged that the incident took place because of people getting trapped in the basement due to malfunctioning of entry-exit biometric system. An MCD official also said that the biometric system failed.
According to the officials, the three-storey coaching institute, surrounded by residential and commercial establishments, had permission to use the basement as a store room, but it was being used as library in violation of the rules.
An FIR was registered at Rajinder Nagar police station under sections 105 (culpable homicide) and 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings), among others, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
So far, two people -- coaching centre owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh -- have been arrested.
According to the FIR, Gupta accepted that there was no drainage system in the basement, which resulted in the death of three people.
According to police sources, the basement gate, which was closed, was damaged by the high pressure of the rainwater, allowing water to flood in. Multiple teams are now investigating the incident. The Delhi Fire Services have been asked to provide a report on the building and its basement, which was being used as a library without proper authorization.
CCTV footage is being reviewed to determine the sequence of events. Investigators will identify individuals near the institute at the time of the incident and record their statements. The probe has revealed two main reasons for the incident, the failure to clear drainage: The roadside drain was not cleared before the onset of the monsoon, leading to water accumulation and subsequent flooding and the lack of a water drainage system, the basement, where the library was illegally operated, lacked a proper water drainage system.
Deputy Commissioner of Police M Harsha Vardhan announced that an FIR has been registered at Rajinder Nagar Police Station under several sections, including: Section 105 (culpable homicide), Section 106(1) (death caused by rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, Section 115(2) (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), Section 290 (negligent conduct with respect to building maintenance), Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The FIR, based on Sub-Inspector Dharmender Kumar Sharma's statement, indicated that the coaching center's owner, who was present during the incident, failed to produce necessary documents for operating a library in the basement and admitted that there was no drainage system.
Following a PCR call about the flooding, Assistant Sub-Inspector Birender was dispatched to the scene. He found the area waterlogged, with the parking area under three feet of water. He immediately informed the SHO of Rajinder Nagar police station, who alerted the fire department and the National Disaster Response Force. It took authorities over five hours to pump out the water during the rescue operation.
The coaching centre on Sunday condoled the loss of young lives and said they are fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation.
"In light of the recent tragic event involving the students of Rajendra Nagar Rau's IAS Study Circle, Rau's IAS Study Circle extends its heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased students, Tanya Soni, Nevin Dalvin, and Shreya Yadav. Our thoughts are profoundly with the families during this incredibly difficult time," read the statement.
"We are dedicated to assisting in any way possible to uncover the truth and ensure accountability. "As we await further developments, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing support to the affected families and addressing any concerns that arise from this incident," the statement added.
Meanwhile, hundreds of civil services aspirants staged a protest in the area.
Raising slogans "we want justice", the protesters blocked the road next to the Karol Bagh Metro Station, causing traffic snarls and prompting police intervention.
A scuffle erupted between the students and police, after which a few protesters were detained and taken away in a bus.
Following this, demonstrators dispersed from the area and the traffic movement was resumed there.
According to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials, the coaching centre had its building plan approved by the civic body in 2021.
An MCD official said that in the building completion certificate of the institute, it is clearly written that the basement can only be used for parking and storage.
It means that the library was running illegally in the basement, the official said.
The official further said that the storm drains built to carry away excess water after heavy rains in the Old Rajinder Nagar area were covered by encroachers.
The drains in the area were heavily clogged with silt and overflowed leading to a flood-like situation due to the rains that lashed parts of Delhi on Saturday, locals complained.
Several videos of the incident went viral on social media in which some students are seen trying to save themselves from drowning after rain water flooded the basement of the coaching institute.
In one of videos, the main entry gate of the coaching centre is seen falling due to excessive rainwater on Saturday evening, leading to the basement being flooded.
Delhi Fire Services Chief Atul Garg said that the coaching institute made a disclosure to the fire department about the basement in which the centre said it would be used as a store room.
"The building has fire NOC, but in the NOC they had shown the basement as a store room. The management of the institute was using the same room as a classroom or library which is a violation of the NOC," Garg told PTI.
Two of the three students who drowned in flooded water in the institute's basement were the students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Delhi University.
Tanya Soni (21), a resident of Telangana who was originally from Bihar's Aurangabad, was a DU student.
Tanya, who took the admission in the coaching institute just one-and-a-half months ago, was presently staying at a girl's hostel of Maharaja Agrasen College.
A friend of Tanya, who did not wish to be named, said her father works in a mining company in Telangana.
She was the eldest child of her parents.
She had younger siblings, a brother and a sister.
Meanwhile, families and friends of the victims demanded action against those involved in the tragic incident.
At the RML Hospital mortuary, the friends and families of the three deceased were in a state of shock and were inconsolable.
Dharmender Yadav, uncle of victim Shreya Yadav, said he learnt about the incident through news channels.
"I tried to call her but her mobile phone was switched off. Even the coaching centre's number was not reachable. I left Ghaziabad and reached the place where she stayed but her room was locked," the uncle said.
"Shreya had completed her BSc in agriculture and joined the coaching centre in May," he said.
Most well-known IAS coaching institutes in the national capital charge students between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh a year.
Besides, students have also to pay Rs 1.82 lakh to Rs 3.65 lakh as rent every year.
After the Rajinder Nagar incident, students fear that they will now be charged more by the coaching institutes in the name of implementation of safety measures.
Lakhs of students from several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and southern parts of the country, come to Delhi to study in coaching institutes in Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar.
Students also alleged that these coaching institutes spend lakhs of rupees for full front page advertisements in major newspapers but have always ignored basic safety measures at their premises.
Meanwhile, the Congress called for fixing accountability over the death of three IAS aspirants in Delhi, with Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, asserting that common people are paying the price for "irresponsibility of institutions" at every level.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said it is very sad that three youths lost their lives after waterlogging in the basement of an IAS coaching centre in the capital due to the "criminal negligence of the government and administration".
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "The incident of the death of three students due to waterlogging in the basement of a coaching institute in Delhi is heartbreaking. I pray to God for the departed souls and the bereaved families." On its part, the BJP demanded registration of cases against concerned officers for "criminal negligence" and resignation of Water Minister Atishi and local AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak for the death of three civil services aspirants.
This is "murder" not any accident, said Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and demanded Rs 3 crore compensation for the families of the three students.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded crackdown on illegal commercial operations in basements across Delhi.
Senior AAP leader and MCD in-charge Pathak condemned the practice as a criminal activity and warned that without intervention, future incidents are inevitable.
He stressed the need for a transparent investigation into the recent incident and criticised the BJP, which were in power in MCD before the AAP replaced it last year, for neglecting the city's drainage system for the past 15 years.
The MCD has started taking action against illegal coaching centres after the tragedy occurred, the Corporation will establish a high-level committee to investigate the basement flooding in central Delhi that resulted in the deaths of three civil service aspirants. A team of the civic body reached the Old Rajendra Nagar area Sunday to seal several illegally-run basements of coaching centres, a statement by the Delhi government said.
The MCD had previously conducted a survey to identify non-compliant coaching centres. An official highlighted that the basement's single biometric entry and exit point, which failed due to the flooding, was a significant safety oversight. "A gross criminal negligence is found on part of the owner of the institute in ensuring safety measures as the library in the basement was running illegally and had only one entry and exit point that was biometric-enabled and got locked due to the flooding," the MCD official said.
Criminal neglect, failure of basic maintenance, says LG
Delhi Lt. Governor V K Saxena ordered the divisional commissioner to report on the deaths of three civil service aspirants due to flooding in a coaching center's basement. He called the incident "criminal neglect" and expressed deep anguish, stating it was "unfortunate & unacceptable." Saxena criticized the failure of city drainage and infrastructure, highlighted the neglect of safety by coaching institutions, and vowed to hold those responsible accountable. He also acknowledged seven other recent deaths due to electrocution and demanded a detailed report by Tuesday.
Families and friends demand accountability
The families and friends of the three students who died in the basement of the flooded coaching centre here on Saturday have demanded action against those guilty of snatching away their loved ones.
Pradeep, a relative of the deceased Tanya Soni, voiced his anger, demanding that someone be held accountable for the mishap. He called for action against all institutes running classes in basements.
Tanya's body was transported to her native place, Aurangabad in Bihar.
Navin Dalwin was pursuing a Ph.D. from JNU, former JNU students' union president Aishe Ghosh visited the hospital and expressed her sorrow, emphasizing that students come to Delhi with dreams, and it's tragic that three young lives were lost. Ghosh demanded accountability and a formal statement from the authorities regarding the reasons behind the incident.
JNUSU president Dhananjay echoed these sentiments, condemning the private coaching "mafia" for prioritizing profits over safety. He criticized the government's inaction in regulating these institutions despite recurrent tragedies. Dalwin's family is expected to arrive in Delhi on Sunday evening, with his post-mortem scheduled for Monday.
Dharmender Yadav, Shreya Yadav's uncle, recounted learning about the incident through news channels and his desperate attempts to contact her. Upon reaching her residence and finding it locked, he went to the coaching centre and then to RML Hospital, where her body was confirmed. Her family and friends were present at the hospital, mourning their loss.
The incident has sparked protests and demands for stringent actions against those responsible, bringing to light the broader issue of safety negligence in private coaching institutes in Delhi.
