• By Vivek Raj
  • Sun, 28 Jul 2024 08:01 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Three aspiring UPSC died after being trapped for over four hours in the flooded basement of the Rau IAS coaching centre in Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi, on Saturday evening. The police have registered a criminal case over the deaths of the students and detained two people. The Delhi Fire Department received a call about waterlogging at the study centre around 7 PM.

A rescue operation was launched by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local police, and fire department. Initially, the body of a female student was retrieved. Hours later, the bodies of two other students were found.

The police reported that around 30 students were inside the coaching centre when it started flooding. While 13 to 14 were rescued and taken to the hospital, others escaped.

Delhi Police informed that the rescue operation has concluded. In a post on X, it said, "At the conclusion of search and rescue operations, 3 dead bodies were recovered. Their families have been informed. The case has been registered & the investigation is underway."

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Student Protest

Students are protesting against the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) at the site after the recovery of the bodies. One student mentioned that waterlogging occurs within 10 minutes of rainfall. "80 percent of libraries are in the basements of coaching centers, MCD has not taken action on this," the student said.

“MCD says it is a disaster but I would say that this is complete negligence. Knee-deep water gets logged in half an hour of rain. Disaster is something that happens sometimes. My landlord told that he had been asking the councillor for the last 10-12 days that the drainage must be cleaned,” a student said.

“We want someone from the government to come here and take responsibility for all the students who have lost their lives. How are they improving anyone's future by making a tweet or writing a letter from their AC rooms,” another protesting student said.

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Political Reactions

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva slammed the AAP government, calling for an inquiry into alleged corruption in the MCD. He questioned why the drainage was not cleaned. BJP leader Shehzad Poonwalla accused the Kejriwal-led party of "criminal negligence," stating that AAP prioritises press conferences over residents' safety.

In response to the student, Delhi minister Atishi assured that those responsible for the incident would "not be spared." She announced a magistrate-led investigation into the incident.


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