‘We pay to risk our lives’: Students protest over deaths of 3 UPSC aspirants at Delhi coaching centre

Meanwhile, in a statement, Rau’s offered “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the three students, and said it was “fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigations into this tragic incident”. The coaching centre did not respond to questions regarding the alleged lapses.

Raising slogans, protesters blocked the road next to the Karol Bagh Metro Station, causing huge traffic snarls in the area and prompting police intervention. A few protesters were detained and taken away in a bus. Following this, many demonstrators dispersed from the area and police resumed the traffic movement there.

DCP (Central) M Harsha Vardhan said since Saturday evening, the road in Old Rajinder Nagar was blocked by students protesting over the incident. “We understand their (protesters’) sentiments and are engaging with them constructively so

the protest remains peaceful. Around 2.30 pm, some students blocked both carriageways of Pusa Road near the Karol Bagh Metro Station, which is an arterial road with many hospitals in the vicinity,” the DCP said.

“Both police and administration repeatedly requested the students to not block the main road. Since they refused to clear the main road even after an hour, they were removed from there, considering the massive public inconvenience and blockade to nearby hospitals,” he added.

‘No one acted on our complaints’

Ramji Awasthi, who studies at Vision IAS and took the exam this year, claimed that almost every coaching centre runs a library or other operations in the basement. “Four days ago, a woman sustained an electric shock in a library because water entered the basement after a little rain. Fortunately, it was minor. But these things happen here regularly,” he alleged.

While the library at Rau’s centre was accessible only to students who studied at the institute, free of cost, several other coaching centres give aspirants the option to use their libraries for a fee.

“They charge Rs 3,000-Rs 5,000 monthly to allow us to sit in these libraries… We complained so many times, but no action has been taken,” said a protester.

“Everyone is saying 100 students in a room is too much. But at times, there are 300-400 students in a room,” said Vishal Mittal, also a student at Vision IAS.

Another protester, Shivraj Patil, alleged inaction by the civic authorities despite multiple complaints every year. “I’ve been here since 2022. Every year, students file complaints for desilting the drain, and for live wires hanging, but no action is taken. Water filling up the basement is a regular feature. Classes have continued even as the basement is submerged in half-a-foot of water. It’s normal for centres to run like this,” said Patil, who was enrolled with Vajiram & Ravi till 2023.

Saumitra Tiwari, a student at Saarthi coaching centre, said his friend was among those rescued from Rau’s last night. “Around 20 people were in the library at the time. Some students decided to step out for a walk. They asked my friend, Prabhakar, to go with them, but he decided to study. One of the students who died was his friend,” he said.

He added that the crowd at Rau’s is usually bigger, but there were fewer students yesterday since it was a weekend.

Recounting the incident, as narrated to him by his friend, Tiwari said water started entering the basement around 7.30 pm. “Immediately, security guards cut off the electricity… The police were the first to arrive. A head constable entered the basement and saved 4-5 people. Prabhakar was also rescued… Over an hour later, two bodies were taken out,” he said.

Another student said he was not sure how to visit these libraries again. “It is scary to think… If there is a power cut and something happens, how will I get out of the library. During the monsoon at least, I will avoid going there,” he said.

A father of a student at Rau’s, who came to observe the protests, said: “Only yesterday, I got my daughter enrolled at Rau’s. And this happened in the evening. When I arrived at the centre, she was on the third floor. I called her up and told her that the water was filling up the basement. She came out, wet till her waist. She was saved somehow. I have already paid the fees.”

Besides the apathy of coaching centres, students also raised slogans against the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Delhi Police and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who had come to the spot. “There are no leaders in our protest. We are here to unite the voice of all aspirants,” said Vishal Sehrawat, a UPSC aspirant from Jaipur.