New Delhi: Three civil services aspirants died at a coaching centre in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area due to the lack of a proper drainage system, inadequate safety measures, and the illegal use of a basement for commercial activities.The Delhi Police arrested the owner and the coordinator of the coaching centre, Rau’s IAS Study Circle, on Sunday. They have been charged with culpable homicide and other offenses and were subsequently remanded to 14 days in judicial custody. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has initiated action against illegal coaching centres and will establish a high-level committee to investigate the basement flooding.In response to the incident, the MCD began sealing several illegally-operated basements of coaching centres in the Old Rajinder Nagar area on Sunday.Shreya Yadav from Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala died after the basement of the Rau IAS academy building was flooded following heavy rain on Saturday evening. Rau’s IAS Study Circle released a statement expressing condolences for the loss of young lives and pledging full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.Some students alleged that the incident occurred because individuals were trapped in the basement due to a malfunctioning biometric entry-exit system.Officials stated that the three-storey coaching institute, surrounded by residential and commercial establishments, had permission to use the basement as a storeroom, but it was being used as a library in violation of the rules. DCP (Central) M. Harsha Vardhan said, “Multiple teams have been formed to investigate the entire incident. We have asked the Delhi Fire Services to provide us with a report about the building and the basement, which was being used as a library but mentioned as ‘store room’.”The basement was eight feet below ground level, and more than 18 students were present when it flooded. According to police sources, the basement gate was closed, but high rainwater pressure caused it to break, allowing water to rush in.An FIR was registered, leading to the arrests of coaching centre owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh. Gupta admitted there was no drainage system in the basement, which contributed to the fatalities.The MCD revealed that the coaching centre’s building plan was approved in 2021. An MCD official said the building completion certificate specified that the basement could only be used for parking and storage, making the library’s operation illegal.The MCD further stated, “Gross criminal negligence is found on the part of the institute owner in ensuring safety measures as the library in the basement was running illegally and had only one biometric-enabled entry and exit point that got locked due to the flooding.”Additionally, the area’s storm drains, intended to carry away excess rainwater, were covered by encroachers and clogged with silt, contributing to the flooding.DFS Chief Atul Garg noted that the building had a fire NOC, but the NOC listed the basement as a storeroom. “The management of the institute was using the same room as a classroom or library, which is a violation of the NOC,” he said.Garg added that fire officials faced challenges while pumping out water due to the heavy rain, which caused equal water levels in the basement and on the road. Firefighters had to wait more than half an hour to drain the street water.
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