New Delhi, India – An investigation has been launched following a tragic incident at a coaching center in Old Rajinder Nagar, where three IAS aspirants lost their lives due to a flooding disaster exacerbated by infrastructural oversights and possible municipal negligence, officials reported on Sunday.
The Delhi Police have initiated a thorough investigation into the events that led to the catastrophe, which occurred on a rainy Saturday evening trapping over 35 individuals, comprising both students and staff members, inside the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle. The center’s owner, Abhishek Gupta, and coordinator, Deshpal Singh, have been arrested under multiple charges including culpable homicide.
In response to the calamity, the police formed specialized teams to examine the scene and gather evidence. A significant aspect of their inquiry involves scrutinizing video footage to better understand the sequence of events leading up to the flooding.
A senior police officer explained that their preliminary investigations suggest the civic authorities failed to adequately maintain local drainage systems despite forecasts predicting heavy rains. This oversight was compounded by the illegal conversion of the building’s basement into a library, lacking essential safety and emergency drainage measures.
Adding to the complexity of the escape efforts, it is believed that the basement’s biometric entry system malfunctioned due to the water influx, trapping the students inside. The situation was dire; some students were able to escape, while others required rescue by peers and local residents.
Authorities have disclosed that at the flooding’s peak, the basement submerged under three feet of water. The emergency services, including the National Disaster Response Force, faced challenging conditions, taking over five hours to fully evacuate the water from the building.
During the operation, rescuers discovered the bodies of two female students and one male student. The deceased have been identified as Shreya Yadav, 25, from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh; Tanya Soni, 25, from Telangana; and Nevin Delvin, 24, from Ernakulam, Kerala.
The judiciary has since intervened, placing both Gupta and Singh in Tihar Jail for a 14-day judicial custody. Further investigations revealed that the building lacked the mandatory documents required for operating a basement library — a regulation clearly flouted by the coaching center’s management.
Local authorities are now under scrutiny to determine why preemptive actions were not taken to ensure the drains were clear prior to monsoon season. This oversight calls into question the enforcement of urban infrastructure and safety norms, particularly in areas prone to heavy rainfall.
This incident has sparked a broader dialogue about building safety regulations and the responsibilities of both private entities and public officials in adhering to and enforcing those standards to prevent such tragedies in the future. The community and the families of the victims await answers and demand accountability to ensure similar occurrences are prevented.