Delhi UPSC coaching centre deaths: Rau’s CEO among 2 held, police say basement library had no approval

According to police, neither did the coaching centre have clearance to use the basement as a library, nor did it have a drainage system in the basement. Commercial activity in basements is deemed illegal by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The coaching centre and two others in the area were sealed by the MCD on Sunday evening for flouting building norms.

DCP (Central) Harsh Vardhan confirmed the arrests. According to the FIR, Gupta, a resident of Gurgaon, was present at the spot at the time of the incident.

Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar is one of the oldest and most popular coaching centres for civil services exam aspirants. It started as a one-man operation in 1953 by Dr S Rau, when classes were held in a small room in Hotel Palace Heights at Connaught Place.

Rau’s IAS Study Circle Private Limited was incorporated in 1980. While Abhishek Gupta is the CEO, the director and chairperson is Ved Prakash Gupta.

Students Protesting after two female students were found dead after the basement of Rau’s IAS, a UPSC coaching centre in Rajendra Nagar, was flooded following a nearby drain burst on Sunday (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

The institute charges Rs 1.75 lakh for offline classes for General Studies (Prelims and Mains). While it has two offline centres — in Delhi and Bengaluru — it also holds online classes at Rs 95,000 for General Studies (Prelims and Mains), and offers distance learning study material.

On its website, the coaching institute says that in its 70 years of existence, it has produced one-third of all bureaucrats across cadres (since 1953). It says the number of students per batch is limited to 100 in offline classes, with morning and evening batches that last 9-10 months, as well as a weekend batch that lasts 14-16 months.

In a statement on Sunday, the coaching centre extended its “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the three students. Saying that it was “deeply saddened by the loss of these promising young individuals who were preparing to serve our nation with dedication and commitment”, it said it “is fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigations into this tragic incident”.

“We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and agencies to ensure that all necessary information is provided and that the investigation proceeds with the utmost diligence. We are dedicated to assisting in any way possible to uncover the truth and ensure accountability,” the statement said.

According to the FIR, police received a phone call at 7 pm, informing that students were trapped in the flooded basement of the building housing the coaching centre. “A police team rushed to the spot where it was found that a few students were trapped inside the basement which was flooded with water,” the FIR said.

The Department of Delhi Fire Services was informed, which deployed five fire-tenders. Later, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also deployed divers, the FIR said.

Identifying Gupta as the “owner”, the FIR said that he was present at the spot, and was asked to show “papers regarding the use of the basement as a library, but was not able to show any documents”.

The water from the road entered the basement “due to improper drainage system”, causing the flooding and “risking the lives of students,” it said. When questioned, Gupta was not able to provide details of any drainage system inside the basement, the FIR said.

A police officer said civic officials responsible for the drainage system in the area have also been summoned for questioning, and action would be taken against any person found to be negligent.

Meanwhile, Lt Governor V K Saxena has ordered a probe by the Divisional Commissioner in the matter. AAP minister Atishi has also directed the Chief Secretary to submit a report within 24 hours.