New Delhi. After heavy rains in Delhi, the basement of Rao IAS Coaching Center was flooded, killing three students preparing for UPSC exams. All three students were trapped in the library located in the basement of the building. In this case, Delhi Police has arrested the owner and coordinator of the coaching center, Abhishek Gupta, on charges including culpable homicide. Police have registered a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 105 (culpable homicide), Section 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), Section 115 (2) (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 290 (negligence in demolishing, repairing or constructing buildings).
Preliminary investigations revealed that around 30-35 students were present in the basement library at the time of the incident. Due to rapid flooding, rescue operations were hampered as furniture floated away. The Delhi Fire Service received a distress call at around 7 pm on Saturday, reporting the incident and the possibility of people being trapped. Delhi government minister Atishi announced on social media that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered to investigate the circumstances leading to the tragedy. She assured that strict action will be taken against those responsible.
The incident has triggered protests among students, who have accused the authorities and administration of negligence. The Bharatiya Janata Party has criticised the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government for criminal negligence. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj visited the spot and demanded the resignation of Delhi Jal Board Minister Atishi and local MLA Durgesh Pathak. Swaraj highlighted that local residents had been requesting to clean the nearby drain for the past one week, which was allegedly ignored by the authorities.
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In response, AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak accused the BJP of politicising the tragedy and blamed the BJP’s 15-year tenure in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the problem, pointing to long-standing problems with Delhi’s drainage system. He demanded strict action against those responsible for converting the basement into a library and termed it a criminal activity.
