UPSC aspirants drown in flooded basement: Senior MCD official admits to ‘failure’; Delhi Minister Atishi says no one will be spared

“I am accepting it’s a failure for all of us and me personally… I am openly saying this shouldn’t have happened,” he said in response to a student’s grievance.

The three students — Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni, and Nevin Dalvin — died in the incident after rain water gushed inside of basement of the coaching centre on Saturday evening.

Around 5 pm, Delhi’s education minister Atishi came to the spot. Amidst cries of ‘Go back’ and ‘Delhi Sarkar Haye Haye’ by one section of the crowd, while another tried to ask everyone to sit and hear her out, Atishi started jotting down the demands of students. These included a grievance redressal committee; compensation of Rs 1 crore each from Rau’s for the family of the deceased; CCTV footage and other details from the night of the incident being made public; and a law to regulate coaching centre fees.

Atishi then said: “I’ve taken note of your demands… All coaching centres in Mukherjee Nagar, Rajinder Nagar and Laxmi Nagar will be inspected. Money will be allocated from MLA’s fund to set up libraries in Old Rajinder Nagar. No official, even the most powerful of IAS officers, would be spared.”

“A grievance redressal board will be set up by noon Thursday in Old Rajinder Nagar which addresses all complaints of students related to water, electricity… The Delhi coaching institute and allied businesses law will be brought which will address issues of rent, fees, and other services provided to students. A panel of 10 students selected by all of you would help draft this law,” she added.

Earlier in the day, Vinay Kumar, founder of coaching centre Insight IAS, came to the spot. “I’ve brought cheques worth Rs 1.5 lakh, a small contribution from my side, for the family of the deceased,” he said.

Asked if his own institute has a fire NOC, he told The Indian Express that every rule is complied with by his centres: “Whatever rules and certificates we are obliged to have, we do.”

The protesters were also joined by Jaya Prada, former Rajya Sabha MP. Initially, she was met with slogans asking her to go back before the crowd relented. “I am not here as a politician. I am here as a mother. Those who died deserve justice…,” she said.

Protesters, however, did not appear satisfied with what was promised. “Different committees are being made. The L-G made one committee… She (Atishi) is making one committee with aspirants. But there is no clarity on when these promises will be fulfilled. The meeting with the MCD commissioner during the day also didn’t lead to any written assurances,” said Adesh Sharma, 23, a student.

‘Need reforms, not knee-jerk reactions’

Meanwhile, protesters said they are planning to form a 20-member committee, comprising solely of aspirants, to decide the future course of action. “This will be formed by voting for members and they will be the sole representatives of the movement. It will meet officials and lead the protest till all our demands are met,” said Sujata, 22, an aspirant who was studying at Vision IAS till last year.

Students were also unhappy with a meeting they had with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tuesday, where owners of other coaching institutes were present as well. A committee was formed to give recommendations on how the condition of coaching centres in Delhi could be improved. Students, however, said there was no one-on-one discussion with them on the issues.

“The whole panel — coaching centre owners, officials, and the L-G — was sitting at the round table. Our immediate issues weren’t taken up. On the issue of financial compensation to the families, we were told that the owners are in custody and the process is going on,” claimed Vaibhav, 23, an aspirant who was present at the meeting.

“They talked about forming a committee comprising students, owners and officials to give recommendations. But there was no timeline of how and when it would be formed,” he said.

Kush Chaturvedi, a former Vajiram and Ravi student who has been preparing for the UPSC exam, said the government is only focussing on temporary measures rather than long-term reforms. “Now, suddenly all institutes are being sealed. But no FIR is being registered against specific owners. Then what is the guarantee that these seals won’t be opened again? Study points are being sealed, the mains exam is days away. Where will students study?” he asked

“The committee formed by the L-G will also have coaching centre owners. They have been running these classes for years and violating laws. Instead of being charged, they are going to give recommendations,” said Vibhu, 25, an aspirant from Bihar.

Danish, 22, who came from Kashmir just six months ago to prepare for the civil services exam at Vajiram in Old Rajinder Nagar, said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi continues to be negligent despite widespread protests. “Even after all this, desilting of drains has not even started here,” he alleged.

Veer, 26, a student from Next IAS coaching centre, said the study points or libraries that are on higher floors are now demanding higher fees as the basement ones are sealed. “Students who struggled to pay Rs 2,500 for these facilities are being asked for Rs 5,000 or more,” he said.