Delhi Rau’s IAS Study Circle flooding updates: Highlights on July 29, 2024

Delhi Revenue minister Atishi on Monday flagged the delay in submission of magisterial inquiry report on the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre incident in a note to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and directed him to submit the report by 10 pm.

There was no immediate reaction from the Chief Secretary office.

“I had given directions at 11:20 pm on Saturday (27th July) regarding initiating a magisterial enquiry into the deaths of three IAS aspirants in Rajinder Nagar area... A report by the magisterial committee was to be submitted to the office of the undersigned within 24 hours.

“However,... am shocked to note that despite almost 40 hours having passed, I am yet to receive any official report or information from the Chief Secretary on the incident,” Atishi said in the note.

The minister said either “the officers of the Delhi government are not serious about enquiring into this tragedy, or they are trying to protect someone.” “The fact that the main accused runs an IAS coaching, one wonders whether he is well connected with the IAS fraternity. Such delays cannot be tolerated,” she said.

- PTI

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena on Monday announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh each for the families of three civil services aspirants who died after flooding of the basement of a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar here.

According to a Raj Niwas statement, the LG, who met the students protesting over the tragic incident, also assured action against responsible officials of Delhi Fire Services(DFS), police, and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) within 24 hours.

A compensation of Rs 10 lakh has been announced, the statement said.

A Joint Task Force of MCD and DFS, constituted under the order of the Delhi High Court in the fire incident at a coaching centre at Mukherjee Nagar earlier this year, will also undertake a survey of all buildings in Rajinder Nagar area, it said.

- PTI

The Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted a committee to inquire into the unfortunate incident at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar in New Delhi. The committee will inquire into the reasons, fix responsibility, suggest measures and recommend policy change.

The committee will have Additional Secretary, MoUHA, Principal Secretary (Home), Delhi Govt, Special CP, Delhi Police, Fire Advisor and JS, MHA as Convener.

It will submit its report in 30 days. 

- Vijaita Singh

The three IAS aspirants who perished in a flood at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar would not have died had the authorities taken note of his complaint against the illegal commercial operation being run from the building’s basement, said a civil services aspirant on Monday.

Kishore Kushwaha said he had on June 26 written a letter to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi against Rau’s IAS Study Circle being run from a basement.

He said he had filed the complaint through an official website of the central government, about the coaching centre’s library, which was inundated with rain water Saturday evening and led to the death of three students..

Kushwaha said he sent reminders to the government agencies on July 15 and July 22 when no action took place. All his communications failed to elicit any action.

Kushwaha, who prepared for civil services exam at a coaching centre in Delhi, said many libraries and classes, not only in the Rajinder Nagar area but also in Mukherjee Nagar, and other coaching hubs like Kota, Indore, and Patna were being run from basements of buildings, imperilling lives of lakhs of students.

- PTI

An air of uncertainty has gripped civil services aspirants in the city, as coaching institutes in Old Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar have cancelled classes in the wake of the deaths of three IAS aspirants in the rain-flooded basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, on Sunday, sealed 13 illegally-run coaching centres in the Old Rajinder Nagar area.

IAS Gurukul, Chahal Academy, Plutus Academy, Sai Trading, IAS Setu, Topper’s Academy, Dainik Samvad, Civils Daily IAS, Career Power, 99 Notes, Vidya Guru, Guidance IAS, and Easy for IAS were the 13 centres that were sealed.

A teacher from a coaching institute shared that many of the centres have moved to online classes, while some have shut down classes.

“The libraries here have been completely shut down after the incident, leaving most students in uncertainty. Even those whose exams are in a few weeks from now are protesting over the incident,” he added.

Students said they pay exorbitant amounts to coaching centres and their shutting down has left them in a state of dismay.

- PTI

A file on a proposed comprehensive plan for desilting of drains in the city, prepared by a three-member committee comprising the MCD commissioner, PWD principal secretary and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) CEO, has been pending with Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj for months, official sources claimed on Monday.

However, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Bharadwaj claimed that the file has been approved on April 29 this year and will be implented post Monsoon.

Earlier in the day, Bharadwaj in a press conference hit out at the Delhi Chief Secretary and other IAS officers claiming they did not pay attention to the desilting of drains even as he raised the issue in his official correspondence since February this year.

- PTI

Five accused arrested in connection with an incident, in which three civil service aspirants drowned at the basement of a coaching centre here, have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a court.

The five accused -- four co-owners of the coaching centre at Rajinder Nagar and the driver of a car -- were produced in the court, which sent them to judicial custody till August 12.

The driver of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that drove through the street that was flooded by rainwater, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building and inundate the basement, was among the five arrested. His counsel told the court that his client had no intention or knowledge of causing death and sought his immediate release on bail. However, the plea was denied by the court.

- PTI

In light of the deaths of three civil services aspirants at a water-logged coaching centre in Delhi, the Madhya Pradesh government on Monday directed civic bodies to survey coaching classes operating in basements of buildings and ensure safety measures are in place on such premises.

In a review meeting at the state secretariat on Monday, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav directed officials to inspect coaching institutes being run in basements of buildings and ensure safety measures are in place.

Yadav said the untimely death of three youngsters preparing for civil services exams in Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar was sad and painful.

- PTI

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said the culture of coaching centres has become no less than a “gas chamber” and stressed on the need to examine the huge expenditure incurred on newspaper advertisements by them.

The Rajya Sabha on Monday held a short duration discussion under rule 176 on the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a coaching centre in Delhi due to water logging.

Allowing the discussion, Dhakhar remarked, “I find that youth demographic dividend of the country has to be nurtured, I further find that coaching has become virtually commerce.” He also pointed out the high sums earned by the coaching centres leading to commercialisation of education.

“Coachings have become a flourishing industry with high returns....every time we read a newspaper front one or two pages are by way of advertisements....Every penny spent on advertisement is coming from the students, every new building is coming from the students,” he said.

-PTI

Remembering Nevin Delvin as a bright student, his uncle sought answers on the Delhi coaching centre flooding incident last week that killed his nephew and two other civil services aspirants.

Delvin (28) is survived by his parents and younger sister. His mother Lanclet Delvin, a professor in Kochi, had to be hospitalised after she learnt about her son’s passing.

His father Delvin Suresh retired as an assistant commissioner of police and his younger sister is a graduate student.

“Everyone had huge expectations from him. We learnt about the incident on Sunday morning and there has been an atmosphere of grief at home since then. His mother has not been able to process the loss and is in hospital,” Delvin’s uncle Linu Raj told PTI.

Delvin came to Delhi four years ago to pursue his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and enrolled in Rau’s IAS Study Circle in May to pursue his dream of becoming a civil servant.

- PTI

A civil services aspirant has written to Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud seeking action against officials responsible for the deaths of three fellow students who died in the rain-flooded basement of a coaching centre here.

In his letter, Avinash Dubey also urged the apex court to direct officials to find a permanent solution to the recurring problem of waterlogging in areas such as Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar, major coaching hubs in the national capital.

Dubey said students residing in these areas are “living a life of hell” due to annual flooding caused by “apathy” of the Delhi government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

He alleged that the residents of these places often battle floods caused by drainage issues due to poor civic infrastructure.

- PTI

The Delhi Police has written to the MCD seeking status of de-silting of drains near the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre, which was flooded Saturday evening leading to the death of three civil services aspirants, officials said.

Police have sought details if any complaint was given against the coaching institute to the civic agency or not. And if the complaint was given, what actions were taken by them.

“We may question MCD officials about desilting of drains and the clearance certificate issued by them to the Rau’s IAS Study Circle where three students died due to flooding of a basement being used as a library,” a senior police officer said.

The MCD is responsible for the desilting of storm water drains. It has been alleged that the drainage system near the coaching centre in the Old Rajinder Nagar area was not working properly due to which a large quantity of rainwater got accumulated at the road, and gushed into the basement.

- PTI

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar blamed the Delhi government for its “carelessness” that led to the death of three IAS aspirants at a coaching institute in the national capital.

“I understand the agencies responsible for this carelessness is either the MCD or the Delhi government for this sheer carelessness,” the Minister said.

The Minister was replying to a short discussion on the incident.

- PTI

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said coaching institutes have to follow the rules and regulations and asserted that there should be no politics over the death of three UPSC aspirants due to flooding at an institute here.

Taking part in a short debate in the Rajya Sabha over the death of three students at a UPSC coaching centre in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27, the minister termed the incident unfortunate.

Nothing would compensate for the loss the bereaved families have suffered, Pradhan said.

“We must fix responsibility so that such incidents do not recur,” he said, adding, “There should be no politics... Negligence has happened and someone has to take responsibility so that a solution can be found.” Stressing that education is in the concurrent list and is the responsibility of the Centre as well as the state, Pradhan said the coaching centres have responsibilities too.

- PTI

During a discussion in Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala demanded legislating a law to regulate fee structure, conditions of teachers as well as students and also their safety.

Participating in the discussion on the death of students in the coaching institute due to alleged negligence of authorities, Mr. Surjewala said, “Why cannot coaching institutes be regulated? They may have a role to play. What would the government do to strengthen education?” 

“I urge through you that the government should seriously have widespread deliberations with all stakeholders and bring a law to regulate coaching institutes in this country,” he said.

Mr. Surjewala pointed towards commercialisation of education in the last 10 years and said everyone is shedding their responsibility.

- PTI

A lawyer urged to take cognisance of the accident and order an immediate safety audit of all such institutes and libraries in the national capital.

According to advocate Satayam Singh’s letter to the high court’s acting chief justice, the incident was “part of a larger pattern of negligence plaguing educational facilities” in areas where “countless” coaching centres were operating in blatant violation of MCD regulations.

“The recurring nature of these incidents points to a systemic failure in ensuring student safety. The right to education ... must not come at the cost of the right to life under Article 21,” Mr. Singh said in the letter.

- PTI

Union Minister M.L. Khattar blames Delhi government for death of three students due to flooding of basement in Delhi coaching centre.

The MCD launched a sealing drive in northwest Delhi’s Mukharji Nagar, a hub of UPSC coaching centres in the national capital.

Action is being taken against establishments illegally using basements in the area, an MCD official said.

A similar drive will later be carried out across the city against establishments operating illegally from basements, the official said.

- PTI

Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that he wrote several times since February to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar for chalking out a comprehensive strategy for desilting of drains but he evaded responding to the matter.

There was no immediate reaction from Naresh Kumar.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Bharadwaj said the issue of desilting of drains is being raised and that it has not been carried out the way it should have.

The government issued guidelines on the regulation of coaching centers in January this year, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan informed Lok Sabha, even as he evaded a direct reply to a question on the death of three IAS aspirants in Delhi due to flooding. 

During the Question Hour, Congress MP K.C. Venugopal mentioned the death of the three students and said the institute had no approved building. 

“Without an approved building, without any facility, some of the coaching centers become mafia... is the government going to take any action?” he said. Mr. Venugopal also raised concerns about students’ suicides.

In his response, Mr. Pradhan said, “The member has raised a question which is not related to the question put today.

But I like to assure the House through you, this government is committed to total socio-psychological and mental protection of all students, whether they are studying in a coaching center, in an institution, school education or higher education,” he said. 

He said exhaustive and detailed guidelines on coaching centers were issued to all states in January, 2024.

Also Read: Ministry of Education issues guidelines for coaching centres

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and urged him to direct the government to pay ₹1 crore compensation to the next of kin of the students who died in the accident. 

Mr. Yadav, in his letter, said the incident has shaken people, created a fear in the minds of students preparing for competitive exams, and put a question mark on their future.

“I request you to direct the government that the next of kin of the deceased students be given ₹1 crore compensation by the government, and responsibility should be fixed and strict action must be taken immediately,” Mr. Yadav said.

- PTI

AAP leaders and MLAs protested on the streets of Delhi, demanding the central government-appointed Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena to suspend officials, including the commissioner of the MCD.

“Despite Ministers’ directions, the MCD did not de-silt the drains in the area (near the coaching centre). Funds were released, but officials do not follow directions of the Minister. Only L-G can suspend or transfer officials. So, we are here to demand the L-G to remove officials who are not working for the people of Delhi. MCD Commissioner should be removed immediately,” AAP Delhi Secretary Reena Gupta said at the protest.

Delhi Fire Services officials said they have initiated the process of cancelling NOC of Rau’s IAS Study Circle building in Old Rajinder Nagar.

- PTI

Delhi LG V.K. Saxena visited the coaching hub of Old Rajinder Nagar and interacted with protesting students.

Officials said the protesting students explained their grievances to Mr. Saxena who assured them that action will be taken in the matter.

The angry students raised the slogan “we want justice”, insisting that the LG join them and speak instead of standing behind the barricade erected by the police.

As the sloganeering intensified, Mr. Saxena returned without properly addressing them.

He, however, said, “I am with you.” He said it was his promise that nobody responsible for the deaths of the students will be spared.

- PTI

The AAP staged a protest near the LG Secretariat and demanded that officers who allegedly failed to issue directions for desilting of drains in Delhi be sacked.

AAP MLA Dilip Pandey said they have come to request Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena to take action against officials who do not issue directions for desilting of drains despite orders from ministers.

“We have come here to request LG sir to take action against incompetent officers, who do not listen to ministers,” he said.

AAP MLA and MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak accused the BJP of indulging in politics.

- PTI

Blaming the AAP led Delhi Government for the incident causing the death of three UPSC aspirants, New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj attacked the AAP in Parliament. She said “The cause of death of these three students is the utter and absolute apathy of the AAP ruling dispensation in Delhi”.

MCD launched an anti-encroachment drive in Old Rajinder Nagar to remove illegal structures covering storm drains in the area which leads to waterlogging.

Some bulldozers were seen in action near Rau’s IAS Study Circle.

The MCD commissioner had told PTI earlier that storm drains had been covered by encroachers in the area and this led to waterlogging and rainwater entering the basement of the coaching centre.

- PTI

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi will hold an emergency meeting of civic officials.

The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. at the MCD headquarters, an official said.

The MCD commissioner, water board chief executive officer and the public works department principal secretary will attend the meeting, the official said.

- PTI

Security has been beefed up in the Old Rajinder Nagar area amid a protest by civil service aspirants.

The protesting aspirants have gathered outside Rau’s IAS Study Circle demanding justice for the students who lost their lives on Saturday.

- PTI

The political blame game over the death of the three students continues.

The BJP is set to protest outside the AAP headquarters in Delhi against the alleged “criminal negligence” of the Delhi Government that led to the deaths.

Meanwhile, the AAP will protest outside the office of the Central Government-appointed Lieutenant Governor, demanding the removal of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Commissioner and punitive actions against officials who did not desilt the drains. The AAP has been alleging that the L-G is not taking action against officials, despite multiple complaints against them.

Delhi Police on July 29 said that five more persons have been arrested in connection with the case.

The arrested persons include the owners of the basement and an individual who drove a vehicle which appears to have damaged the gate of the building. With these arrests, total number of persons arrested in the case has gone up to seven, Delhi Police said in a statement.