3 UPSC aspirants drown in Delhi coaching centre: Poor drainage, lack of desilting cited as likely causes | Delhi News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In a major mishap at Rau’s IAS coaching centre in central Delhi’s Old Rajender Nagar, at least two students died after rainwater accumulated on the road flooded the library in the basement on Saturday evening. There were 30 students in all at the centre. Twenty-seven either escaped or were rescued but three got trapped.
Multiple agencies, including NDRF, launched a rescue operation along with personnel from police and fire brigade.By 10.30pm, officials had confirmed the first death as NDRF divers managed to extract the body of a girl.
The second body, also of a girl, was taken out around 11.15pm. Another student was suspected to have got trapped, and the rescue operation was on till late in the night with the water being pumped out. Police have filed an FIR for causing death due to negligence. tn
Pushed by water, basement door collapsed
The water that collected in Rau’s IAS coaching centre in Old Rajender Nagar on Saturday ultimately filled its basement, causing a death and creating a severe situation that required the intervention of divers. Students at the spot described the situation as “horrific” and one they had never imagined being caught in. Some students also claimed a similar condition a week ago when the street there had waist-deep rainwater.

When TOI visited the spot, it met anxious students and parents who were trying to get some information about what happened. Many politicians had also landed at the spot. Police personnel were posted there to control the crowd.
At the spot, the building of the coaching centre was barricaded. An ambulance was taken inside the complex and water was being pumped out from the basement.
UPSC aspirant Rahul Pawar, 29, said, “The force of water was so great that the gate of the building fell down and water flowed into the basement that houses the library.” Some students corroborated what a representative of the coaching centre claimed about a car having passed at great speed and caused water to flow into the building.
Another aspirant said, “Since it was raining heavily and the road was waterlogged, some people were stranded at the centre after class.”
Shashank Sharma, 22, who studies in Vision IAS, said, “Rau’s library is in the basement so the water got inside it and students have been stuck there since evening.” He expressed outrage at the poor safety arrangements. “These institutes charge us Rs 2 lakh as fees and no safety measures are taken,” he fumed. His statement was echoed by many other students present there.
Harsh Deshmukh, 23, of Maharashtra, who also avails coaching nearby, said that poor drainage was a constant woe in the locality. “We are used to it, but now it has also reached the institutes and is proving a safety hazard,” he said.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva blamed Delhi govt for the incident “This is not the first time an incident like this has taken place. Electrocution deaths have become normal,” he alleged.
Bansuri Swaraj, member of Parliament from New Delhi, claimed that the public had been urging area MLA Durgesh Pathak to desilt the drains for the past week. She alleged that if the drains had been cleared of the clogging, rainwater would not have accumulated in the area. “In the flooded basement, the furniture was swimming,” she exclaimed. The MP said the loss of young lives was tragic and noted that the victims were IAS aspirants who had come to Delhi in pursuit of a bright future. Swaraj too held the state govt responsible for the unfortunate incident.
Member of Rajya Sabha Swati Maliwal posted on X: “I can’t even imagine what this child’s family must be going through. Just a few days ago, a student died due to an electric shock in Patel Nagar. Accountability should be fixed for this incident. Those guilty of negligence should be punished.”