In a tragic incident, three UPSC aspirants died due to rain-induced flooding in the basement of a popular IAS coaching centre in Delhi on Saturday evening.
The Delhi Police have arrested seven people, including the owner and the coordinator of Rau’s IAS Study Circle, in connection with the deaths.
The incident sheds light on the violation of safety norms, the illegal use of basements and the “collapse” of the drainage system in Delhi.
Here’s a look at various factors that may have led to the mishap.
Illegal use of the basement
As per News18, Rau’s IAS Study Circle building had four floors, a parking space and a basement. Due to heavy rainfall and subsequent waterlogging, the water got accumulated in the basement, which was housing 20–25 students at the time.
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.
The centre’s owner, Abhishek Gupta, was unable to produce documents related to the functioning of the library in the underground floor, according to the report which cited the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Delhi Police on Sunday.
Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi directed the MCD commissioner to take strict action against institutes that are using basements for commercial purposes in violation of building bylaws and against any officers responsible for the incident.
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,” Garg told PTI.
Former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal alleged corruption in the operation of illegal basements in the city. Taking to X, she wrote, “… How can illegal basements operate without corruption? How can extra floors be added? How can encroachments on roads and drains occur without bribes? It is clear that there is no need to follow safety rules, just pay money, and the work gets done.”
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said such incidents point towards “criminal neglect and failure of basic maintenance and administration by concerned agencies and departments.”
Also read: Delhi coaching centre deaths: The heartwrenching story of 3 UPSC aspirants with big dreams
Ignored complaints
Nearly a month ago, on June 26, civil services aspirant Kishor Singh Kushwah filed a complaint against the coaching centre with the MCD regarding the illegal use of the basement, according to Indian Express.
“Despite not having permission, they (Rau’s) are running a classroom without NOC in the basement; they are running test classes, which are affecting the lives of students and staff. There is a possibility of a major accident. Big UPSC coaching institutes are running classes at illegal places, putting the lives of the students at risk,” Kushwah wrote in his complaint, as per the newspaper.
He wrote to the MCD again on July 15, saying, “Sir, it is a very important and urgent issue, take strict action.”
Just five days before the drowning incident, he pleaded for intervention, saying, “Sir please take action … It’s an issue of student safety.”
However, no action was taken. As per the newspaper, his online complaint status reads, “Under process.”
No drainage system
As per the FIR accessed by News18, Abhishek Gupta, who lives in Gurugram, admitted that there was no water drainage system in the basement.
“Due to the lack of a drainage system, rainwater gets collected on the road. The water on the road went into the basement, putting the lives of the students in danger. On being asked, Abhishek Gupta, owner of Rau’s IAS Study Centre, accepted that the basement did not have any draining system,” the FIR in Hindi reads.
It also mentioned that the owner of the coaching centre was present in the building at the time of the incident.
The three-page FIR says Gupta has been booked along with building management and those responsible for the drainage system.
Failure to clear the roadside drain
As per the report by News18, the incessant rainfall in the National Capital on Saturday turned the area into a sinkhole and led to flooding “as the silt was not cleared.”
It stated that the clearing of the silt and drain with suction pumps began only a day after the horrific incident.
Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal said students revealed that they had been demanding drain cleaning repeatedly for ten days, but no action was taken.
“The students are saying that 12 days ago they informed the counsellor that the drain system here is bad, so the counsellor and all the people above him should answer,” she said, as per Mint.
AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak was also quoted as saying, “Delhi’s drainage system has collapsed and the reason for this is that the BJP was in power for 15 years. We have been here for the last year and are working on the drains, but I do not want to get into any blame game. I want it to be investigated and strict action should be taken against whoever is responsible.”
Lack of safety measures
Students said that the centre had a biometric system installed, meaning the doors would not open without fingerprint verification, as per News18.
As the water started to fill in and the power supply was cut off to prevent electrocution, the doors were locked.
This could amount to “non-functional safety measures” mentioned in the NOC, hinting at another violation, the report added.
Furthermore, a student said, “There are no fire exits or emergency exits” at these coaching centres.
“There is a systematic problem in these coaching centres with a lack of interest in safety measures,” she was quoted by PTI as saying.
The incident
The basement flooding took place at 6.45 pm on Saturday when the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar was flooded and numerous students got stuck.
Several videos on social media showed students trying to save themselves from drowning, rushing out as water gushed down the stairs. One video showed the main entry gate of the centre falling due to excessive rainwater.
The Delhi Police, on receiving the call, went to inspect the site only to find about three feet of water on the road and at the building’s parking at the ground level.
The Fire Department, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and ambulances reached the spot, and started pushing water with the help of a pump.
Searches by agencies at the coaching centre continued past the midnight and ended after seven hours.
While other students had a narrow escape, three students – Tanya Soni, 21, from Telangana’s Mancherial; Shreya Yadav, 22, from Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar; and Nevin Davin, 28, from Kerala’s Ernakulam lost their lives.
It was during this search that they spotted the three students who were taken to nearby Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for examination where they were declared dead.
Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh were arrested and booked under Sections 105, 106, 115 (2), 290, and 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges included culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing death by negligence, voluntarily causing hurt, negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, and repairing or constructing buildings.
The two have been sent to 14-day judicial custody.
On Monday, according to ANI, five more people, including the owners of the building, were arrested in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, a crackdown against coaching centres took place only a day after the tragedy. According to the news agency, civic body MCD has sealed basements of 13 coaching centres in Rajinder Nagar, including Rau’s, and nearby areas for flouting norms.
Protests
At the RML Hospital, there was anger among the relatives of the victims, who claimed they were not being allowed to see the bodies even though they have been waiting since morning.
Dharmender Yadav, uncle of Shreya Yadav, said he learnt about the incident through news channels.
“I tried to call her but her phone was switched off. Even the coaching centre’s number was not reachable. I left from Ghaziabad and reached the place where she stayed but her room was locked.
“I went to the coaching centre where I met the DCP and he asked me to go to RML Hospital. At the hospital, I was not allowed to see her body. However, they confirmed receiving her body,” he said.
The protests continued in the early hours of Monday, demanding action against coaching centres and owners running libraries in basements, a rent regulation bill or code of rent regulation to control irrational rent and brokerage, and an insurance cover or grievance redressal mechanism for students, as per ANI.
The aspirants have also demanded that the government take steps to avoid waterlogging or electrocution in the area during rain.
Also read: Coaching centres as death traps: Why are IAS dreams being sold at the cost of safety?
Political blame game
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, condoled the death of three IAS aspirants and said common people are paying the price for unsafe construction, poor town planning and irresponsibility of institutions at every level.
Congress leader Pawan Khera termed the incident “a man-made disaster.”
“The students had come from far-off places to study in Delhi. But what is the system of filtering out illegal structures from legal structures? Is the MCD looking into it? What about the drainage system? All these questions plague these controversies around these deaths,” Khera said.
“Last week, a student died after touching a live wire. Is this how we should treat students coming to Delhi? Action has to be taken, accountability has to be fixed, and Delhi cannot be seen as such an insensitive city,” he said.
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva called the incident a “murder” and said students who came to build their future in Delhi have “become victims of corruption.”
“Nobody is answering how the library was established in the basement. There was an incident in Mukherjee Nagar, and the Delhi government had launched the investigation. What has happened to the investigation? Delhi Minister (Atishi) has still not reached the spot. The locals were asking for cleaning of drainage. Whoever is responsible should be punished. What is the fault of students?” he said.
With inputs from agencies
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Illegal basement, no drain: How Delhi coaching centre, where 3 students died, flouted norms
