Students protest, a directive by the Mayor, multiple deaths: All you need to know about Delhi UPSC coaching centre flooding

The incident is said to have occurred after a nearby drain in the area burst leading to rapid flooding of basement Saturday evening.

What happened on Saturday night?

The basement housed the library of the Rau’s IAS coaching centre where students would go for self-study.

The Met department’s PUSA weather station, closest to Old Rajinder Nagar, had reported 31.5 mm of rain between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm on Saturday. According to eyewitnesses, the basement filled with 10-12 feet of water in almost no time, giving students no chance to escape.

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. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

The protesting students, some of whom are eyewitnesses to the incident last night, claimed that access to the building is controlled through a biometric system, which means that if there is a power outage, those inside have no way to exit.

A faculty member also said when the flooding first began, a call was made to 112, but traffic jams led to delays in rescuers reaching there.

“At 7 pm, we received a call regarding the flooding of a basement in the Old Rajinder Nagar area and that some people were trapped in it. As we are all aware, there were heavy rains in the area in the evening because of which there was a lot of waterlogging on the roads and adjoining buildings as well. We are investigating how the basement got flooded; but it is a matter of fact that the basement got flooded very fast due to which some people got trapped inside,” DCP Central M Harsha Vardhan said, describing the incident on Saturday evening.

Rajender Nagar is known in the national capital – and the country – as a hub of coaching centres and paying guest accommodations, with students coming from far and wide with hopes of cracking entrance examinations. In June last year, more than 60 people were injured in a fire that broke out at a coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar, another such hub.

Personnel from the Delhi Fire Services and divers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) carried out operations late into the night, which concluded Sunday morning, according to the Delhi Police.

Personnel from the Delhi Fire Services and divers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) carried out operations late into the night. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

Coaching centre coordinator, building owner detained

According to DCP (Central) Harsh Vardhan, a case under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been lodged against the coaching centre, the management of the building and the firm/official, responsible for managing the drainage system of the area, at the Rajinder Nagar Police Station.

“The coaching centre owner and the coordinator have been detained so far and those whose names crop up during the course of the investigation will accordingly face strict legal action,” Vardhan added.

What are politicians saying?

While Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has ordered citywide action against similar coaching centres which are violating building bye-laws by running commercial activities in basements, Minister Atishi has sought a magisterial enquiry report from the Chief Secretary within 24 hours.

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, reacting to the incident, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “The incident of the death of three students due to water logging in the basement of a coaching institute in Delhi is heartbreaking. I pray to God for the departed souls and the grieving families… This is criminal and irresponsible. Accountability must be fixed and most importantly, every construction, every activity that is illegal and life-threatening in the areas where competitive students live must be rectified.”

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has ordered citywide action against similar coaching centres which are violating building bye-laws by running commercial activities in basements. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, called for the resignation of Atishi and local MLA Durgesh Pathak. “This is a clear case of mishap caused due to non cleaning of drains and the drain water has backflowed into the basement of the coaching centre at a very high speed. Delhi Government’s criminal negligence is responsible for this mishap. Jal Board Minister Ms. Atishi & local MLA Durgesh Pathak should take responsibility and resign,” he said.

Moreover, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condoled the death of three IAS aspirants, saying that common people are paying the price for unsafe construction, poor town planning and irresponsibility of institutions at every level. “The death of students preparing for competitive exams due to waterlogging in the basement of a building in Delhi is very unfortunate. A few days ago, a student died due to electric shock during the rains,” Gandhi wrote on X.

“This collapse of infrastructure is a combined failure of the system. The common citizen is paying the price of unsafe construction, poor town planning and irresponsibility of institutions at every level by losing his life,” the former Congress chief said.

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