UPSC coaching centre deaths: How was the basement flooded, and what happened next

Here’s what unfolded on Saturday evening:

06:45 pm

Express Illustration by Suvajit Dey

The gate to Rau’s IAS Study Circle in the area broke and water gushed in after heavy rains led to waterlogging on the road in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar. The water got accumulated in the basement of the building, which was housing 20-25 students at the moment.

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.

07:00 pm

Express Illustration by Suvajit Dey

About 15 students run out of the basement while security guards on the floor above cut power supply to prevent electrocution. Three or four people get pulled out of the basement. By 7 pm, water had reached to the level of the road.

07:25 pm

Express Illustration by Suvajit Dey

Delhi Police teams and five fire tenders reached the site of the incident, carrying four pumps to drain out the water from the basement of the building to the road. The MCD also provided an additional pump.

“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.

08:30 pm

Express Illustration by Suvajit Dey

About an hour later, divers from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were called in to the site to assist in the evacuation of students.

10:39 pm

Express Illustration by Suvajit Dey

The body of a female student, Shreya Yadav, is recovered at the level of six feet deep in the water.

11:18 pm

Express Illustration by Suvajit Dey

The body of the second victim, Tanya Soni, is recovered subsequently.

01:15 am

Express Illustration by Suvajit Dey

The body of Nivin Dalwin is recovered after water is pumped out onto the road.

Early on Sunday, July 28, the Delhi Police registered a criminal case once the search and rescue operations were complete.

In view of the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sealed 13 coaching centres stating that they were found to be operating in basements, violating the rules. The MCD will also set up a high-level committee to probe the flooding incident. According to a report in The Indian Express, a month before the incident, a complaint was filed with the MCD regarding the alleged illegal use of the basement. Reminders were sent to the civic body on July 15 and July 22.

The rescue operations were complete late Saturday night. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

Several students began to protest in Old Rajinder Nagar near the coaching centre over the deaths. Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal too joined the protest but was soon met with slogans of “Go back Swati” by the students who were saying: “We will not let you do politics”. Raising slogans, protesters blocked the road next to the Karol Bagh Metro Station, causing huge traffic snarls in the area and prompting police intervention.

The protesting students, some of whom were eyewitnesses to the incident, 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. They also held a candle march late Sunday evening.

Raising slogans, protesters blocked the road next to the Karol Bagh Metro Station, causing huge traffic snarls in the area and prompting police intervention. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)

Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena referred to the incident as “indicative of the larger malaise of misgovernance that Delhi has been subjected to during the last decade or so”. The L-G also directed Divisional Commissioner Manish Kumar Gupta to submit a report — covering every aspect of the flooding — by Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned AAP MLA from Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar Durgesh Pathak over the incident.

On Monday, the Delhi Police arrested five more persons, taking the total to seven. These include, the owner of the basement and Rau’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).