Following the tragic deaths of three civil service aspirants in Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi due to flooding in a coaching center basement on Saturday evening, outraged students held an overnight protest outside the institute.
By Sunday morning, images from the scene depicted students sitting on the road outside Rau’s IAS Study Circle, chanting demands for justice.
One protesting IAS aspirant criticized the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), stating to ANI, “MCD calls it a disaster, but I call it sheer negligence. Within half an hour of rain, knee-deep water accumulates. A ‘disaster’ is something that happens unexpectedly. My landlord informed me that he had been urging the councillor for the last 10-12 days to clean the drainage.”
“The primary demand is for action against those responsible. Our immediate demand is for accurate information regarding the number of deaths and injuries,” the student emphasized.
Mayor Shelly Oberoi has instructed the MCD Commissioner to take swift action against all coaching centers in Delhi under MCD jurisdiction that operate commercial activities in basements, violating building bye-laws and norms.
She emphasized the need for an immediate inquiry to determine if any MCD officers are accountable for the tragedy. If any official is found culpable, stringent measures should be taken against them.
Tragic incident
Three civil services aspirants tragically lost their lives on Saturday when the basement of a coaching center in Rajinder Nagar, central Delhi, flooded due to heavy rainfall.
According to police reports, approximately 30 students were present when flooding started. Some managed to evacuate, but 13-14 students were rescued and transported to a hospital. A criminal case has been filed regarding the deaths of the three aspirants, and two individuals have been apprehended.