New Delhi:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday informed a Delhi court that there was enough evidence to prosecute the accused persons in the death case connected to the flooding in an Old Rajinder Nagar coaching institute.

The civil services aspirants had lost their lives following a torrential downpour in the national capital leading to the flooding at the coaching institute.

Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna heard the submissions of the CBI, which urged the court to take cognisance of a chargesheet filed in the case.

Among others, the CBI has chargesheeted the CEO of Rau’s IAS Study Circle Abhishek Gupta and its coordinator Deshpal Singh.

The defence counsel, however, opposed the CBI submissions, claiming the chargesheet was incomplete.

Following the submissions, the court posted the hearing on October 29 to decide on cognisance.

Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana and Nevin Delvin (24) from Kerala had drowned in the flooded basement of the building on July 27. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A Delhi court on Monday granted till December 7 interim bail to Rau’s IAS Study Circle CEO Abhishek Gupta and its coordinator Deshpal Singh in a case related to the death of three civil services aspirants in July in the centre’s flooded basement.

Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna granted relief to the accused persons on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each with two sureties of the like amount.

The judge also directed Abhishek Gupta to deposit Rs 2.5 crore till November 30 with Red Cross Society, saying that as per the lease agreement of the premises, the accused being the lessee and CEO of the institute alone, would responsible for any loss claim, and damages to any person or material.

The judge noted that Abhishek Gupta and Singh were CEO and coordinator of Rau’s IAS Study Circle, respectively, and were in control of its affairs.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The owner of Rau’s IAS study circle coaching institute where three UPSC aspirants drowned due to waterlogging in old Rajinder Nagar on July 27 “knowingly” used the basement for commercial purposes in contravention of the usage approved by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the CBI has alleged.

In light of the “seriousness” of the allegations, the CBI sought special court’s permission for “custodial interrogation” of coaching institute owner Abhishek Gupta and other accused Deshpal Singh, Harvinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Sarabjeet Singh and Tajinder Singh who have been in judicial custody.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nishant Garg on Saturday sent all six to CBI custody till September 4.

In its submission to the court, the CBI has said that its probe has also shown that the institute did not have a fire safety certificate for nearly one year after the issue was flagged before the Delhi High Court in 2023.

When the matter was raised before the high court last year that many coaching institutes in the area do not have mandatory fire safety certificates, the MCD had issued a show cause notice to the owner of Rau’s IAS study circle also to comply with the masterplan-2021.

In response on August 8, 2023, he assured the MCD that he had applied for the fire safety certificate. Finally, the certificate was issued to the institute on July 9, 2024.

The CBI probe has shown that the MCD had given an occupancy certificate to the building on August 9, 2021 “explicitly” stating that the basement can only be used for a staircase, lift, lobby, toilet, parking, household storage and car lift.

The owner of the coaching institute Abhishek Gupta entered into a lease agreement with the co-owners of the building on January 5, 2022, taking the building on lease for nine years at Rs four lakh per month rent, the CBI has alleged.

The basement of the building was allegedly being used for a library and examination hall, having an 80-90 seating capacity. Students used to sit throughout the day for studies and taking tests, the agency found.

“In contravention of the approved usage of the basement, the lessor and the lessee knowingly agreed to use the basement for the commercial purpose of running the coaching institute,” the CBI has told a special court.

The CBI also found that Old Rajinder Nagar used to get flooded even after moderate rains, being a low-lying area, and the rainwater used to enter the premises. In order to block the water from entering, steel gates were used in the building.

Citing the postmortem report, the CBI has said that the three UPSC aspirants died during the flooding on July 27 due to asphyxia caused by ante-mortem drowning.

The agency said its investigation revealed that on July 27 at about 6.30 PM, several students were studying in the library located in the basement of the coaching institute and heavy rainfall was taking place outside.

“The rainwater entered suddenly in the ground floor due to sudden fall of sliding gates of the main building and subsequently entered into the basement resulting in flooding of the same,” it had said earlier.

The CBI said that few students survived but three students namely Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni and Nevin Dalvin died.

The agency said its investigation shows that Rau’s IAS Study Circle is being run in a building that has “Basement, Stilt/Parking, Upper Ground Floor, First Floor, Second Floor and Third Floor.” “All the floors including the basement were used by the said coaching institute. The basement was used for the purpose of the library where students used to sit throughout the day for study as well as for taking test conducted by the coaching institute,” it said.

The case has been filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), was transferred from the Delhi Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the high court on August 2.

“Considering the submissions in the application and in particular the scope of investigation in terms of the order dated August 2, 2024 of the High Court of Delhi, custodial interrogation of the accused persons would be necessary for the purpose of investigation and for ascertaining the role played by various individuals who might have been involved in corrupt practices or criminal negligence,” the court said on Saturday.

The court passed the order on an application filed by the CBI seeking police custody of all the six accused for four days for their interrogation. The accused were produced before the court on expiry of their judicial custody granted earlier in the case. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sealed at least 13 coaching centres in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar after three civil service aspirants died in the flooding of the basement of a coaching institute in the same area.

The action by the civic body, which continued till late Sunday night, came after three students – Tania Soni, Shreya Yadav and Navin Delvin – were killed when water suddenly gushed into the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle on Saturday evening.

The coaching centres that were sealed included IAS Gurukul, Chahal Academy, Plutus Academy, Sai Trading, IAS Setu, Topper’s Academy, Dainik Samvad, Civils Daily IAS, Career Power, 99 Notes, Vidya Guru, Guidance IAS, and Easy for IAS.

“These coaching centres were found to be operating in basements in violation of rules and they were sealed on the spot and notices were pasted,” an order by MCD Mayor Shaili Oberoi said.

The Rau’s IAS Study Circle was already sealed by the police and its owner and the coordinator have been arrested and charged with culpable homicide.

Delhi Coaching Centre Deaths

Tania Soni, Shreya Yadav — both aged 25 — and Navin Delvin, 28 when water gushed into Rau’s IAS Study Circle’s basement – being used as a library in violation of rules.

Several other students were trapped in the waterlogged basement and were rescued after a seven-hour-long operation.

Tanya, who had come from Telangana, was a native of Bihar’s Aurangabad and a student of Delhi University, according to reports. She had been staying at a women’s hostel of Delhi University’s Maharaja Agrasen College and had taken admission to the coaching institute one and a half months ago.

Shreya Yadav was a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar. She earlier used to stay at a PG Hostel in west Delhi’s Shadipur area and had taken admission to the coaching institute two months ago. She had done her BSc in agriculture from a college in Uttar Pradesh.

Nevin, from Ernakulam in Kerala, was pursuing PhD in Arts and Aesthetics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He had joined the coaching institute eight months ago but had been staying in rented accommodation near the university in the Vasant Kunj area.

How Delhi Coaching Centre Put Lives In Danger

The investigations so far have indicated multiple lapses on the part of the coaching centre’s owner and civic authorities.

The Rau’s IAS Study Circle centre got a No-Objection Certificate from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in August 2021. The certificate, accessed by NDTV, underlines that the basement is for parking use and household storage.

The coaching centre for civil service aspirants got an NOC from the fire department earlier this month. This document, also accessed by NDTV, mentions that the building has complied with fire safety requirements. It adds that the basement should be used strictly as per building bye-laws.

The building bye-laws lay down that adequate arrangements shall be made to ensure surface drainage does not enter the basement. It also added that if the basement is used for office and commercial purposes, there should be a sufficient number of exit ways and access ways. In the case of the Rajinder Nagar coaching, there was only one entry/exit.

Even as the police are probing the cause behind the flooding, locals blame the poor drainage system in the area. They say it was heavily clogged with silt and overflowed leading to a flood-like situation following rains.

The coaching centre owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh have been remanded the duo in 14 days of judicial custody.

Police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 105 (culpable homicide), 106(1) (death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide), 115(2) (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings).

New Delhi:

The coaching centre at whose establishment three students died due to rain-induced flooding in the basement on Sunday condoled the loss of young lives and said they are fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigation.

The UPSC aspirants — two females and a male — lost their lives as they were trapped inside the library running in the basement of the Old Rajinder Nagar-based Rau’s IAS Study Circle, which was flooded due to a sudden evening downpour in the national capital on Saturday.

“In light of the recent tragic event involving the students of Rajendra Nagar Rau’s IAS Study Circle, Rau’s IAS Study Circle extends its heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased students, Tanya Soni, Nevin Dalvin, and Shreya Yadav. Our thoughts are profoundly with the families during this incredibly difficult time,” read the statement.

In the statement, the institute said they “are deeply saddened by the loss of these promising young individuals who were preparing to serve our nation with dedication and commitment”.

“RAU’s IAS Study Circle is fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigations into this tragic incident. We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and agencies to ensure that all necessary information is provided and that the investigation proceeds with the utmost diligence,” read the statement.

The police have arrested the owner and the coordinator of Rau’s IAS Study Circle and booked them for culpable homicide and under other charges.

The absence of drainage system and safety measures, and flouting of norms led to the tragic deaths of three IAS aspirants, officials and students said on Sunday.

The Delhi government has ordered a magisterial probe into the tragedy.

This tragedy has touched us all, and we recognise the profound impact it has had on their families, friends, and the broader community,” the statement by the coaching centre said.

“We are dedicated to assisting in any way possible to uncover the truth and ensure accountability.

“As we await further developments, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing support to the affected families and addressing any concerns that arise from this incident. We urge everyone to respect the privacy of the families during this time of grief and to extend their support and compassion in any way possible,” the statement said.

It said their “organisation stands united in honouring the memory of Tanya Soni, Nevin Dalvin, and Shreya Yadav”.

“Their aspirations and dreams will be remembered, and their loss will be felt deeply by all who knew them,” read the statement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

At least three students were killed after they were trapped for over four hours when water suddenly gushed into the basement of a popular coaching centre in Delhi on Saturday.

The three victims have been identified as Tania Soni, Shreya Yadav, both aged 25, and Navin Delvin, 28, from Kerala.

They were all preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams.

Visuals from West Delhi’s Old Rajendra Nagar showed the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle completely flooded on Saturday evening. 

Fire brigade officials said they received a call about students being stuck in the basement at 7.19 pm and five fire engines were dispatched to assist in rescue operations. 

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was also called in to assist in the rescue operation.

Officials said a drain had exploded, leading to the basement’s flooding.

The bodies of two female students were pulled out hours after the rescue operation began, while the body of the third student was recovered later into the night.

What May Have Led To Flooding 

Preliminary investigation suggests that the basement housed a library – with a seating capacity of about 150 people – where several students were present when water suddenly entered. 

The investigation has revealed that the coaching centre was built in a street that was on a slope, one of the reasons why water after heavy rain may have reached the institute so quickly. The water flow also reportedly broke the basement door.

ALSO READ | ‘Murder’: BJP Blames Delhi Government For Death Of 3 After Flooding

It is also being probed whether the flooding was caused due to the overflow of the sewer drain on the street.

According to a police officer, the furniture in the institute started floating when it was flooded, creating an obstruction in the rescue operation.

The tragic incident comes days after a UPSC aspirant was electrocuted while trying to cross a waterlogged street in Patel Nagar, which is also in West Delhi. 

New Delhi:

Three UPSC aspirants died after they were trapped in the basement of a popular coaching centre in Cental Delhi last last evening, triggering massive protests.

Hundreds of students and locals in the area gathered outside the Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar this morning demanding action against the coaching centre and authorities for negligence that claimed the lives of three students.

Officials said a drain had exploded, leading to the flooding in the basement.

The incident prompted a sharp attack on the ruling AAP from the BJP that claimed that the local MLA had ignored repeated appeals by locals to get the drains cleaned.

“There should be an inquiry into the alleged corruption by Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi and their government. There should be an inquiry as to why the drainage was not cleaned by the Delhi Municipal Corporation,” said Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva.

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj slammed the AAP government and said that the Kejriwal’s government did not listen to the locals.

“These children came here to create their future. But the government of Arvind Kejriwal and MLA Durgesh Pathak did not listen to any requests of the local people. People had been asking Durgesh Pathak for last one week to get the drainage systems cleaned. Arvind Kejriwal and Durgesh Pathak are responsible for the deaths,” she said.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla also slammed the Kejriwal-led government, calling the incident a “murder” committed by AAP.

On the BJP’s allegations, AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak said the party’s councillors were in power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for 15 years but did not get drains constructed. “This is not the time for politics. The focus now is on saving the students,” the MLA said.

Visuals from Rajendra Nagar showed the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle completely flooded.

Fire brigade officials said they received a call about students being stuck in the basement at 7.19 pm last evening and five fire engines were dispatched to assist in rescue operations. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force also assisted in the rescue operation,.

The bodies of two female students were pulled out hours after the rescue operation began. The body of the third student, a male, was recovered later into the night.

The incident comes days after a UPSC aspirant was electrocuted while trying to cross a waterlogged street in Patel Nagar, which is also in West Delhi.

New Delhi:

Three students, who were trapped for over four hours after water suddenly entered a basement at a popular coaching centre in West Delhi, have died, police said.

Visuals from Rajendra Nagar showed the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle completely flooded on Saturday. Fire brigade officials said they received a call about students being stuck in the basement at 7.19 pm on Saturday and five fire engines were dispatched to assist in rescue operations. 

The bodies of two female students were pulled out hours after the rescue operation began. The body of the third student, a male, was recovered later into the night.

“The bodies have been sent to the hospital for further legal action. Rescue operations are still underway. The water is being pumped out. There is still about 7 feet of water in the basement… I request the student community to not come here and hamper the rescue services. We share their pain but coming here to the spot is not the solution. It will hamper the rescue services,” Deputy Commissioner Of Police (Central Delhi) M Harshavardhan said.

Delhi Fire chief Atul Garg said that rescue operations are still on to find anyone else suspected to be trapped in the basement. Earlier, he said reports suggested that only 3 students were trapped while 30 others had escaped the flooded basement.

#WATCH | Delhi: On the Old Rajender Nagar incident, DCP Central M Harshavardhan says, “… The bodies have been sent to the hospital for further legal action. Rescue operations are still underway. The water is being pumped out. There is still about 7 feet of water in the… pic.twitter.com/37un19ApIJ

— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2024

The incident comes days after a UPSC aspirant was electrocuted while trying to cross a waterlogged street in Patel Nagar, which is also in West Delhi. 

In a post on X, Delhi Public Works Department Minister Atishi said the basement got flooded after heavy rain and the local AAP MLA, Durgesh Pathak has reached the coaching centre, and so has the mayor, Shelly Oberoi. 

“There is news of an accident due to heavy rain in Delhi in the evening. There is news of water flooding the basement of a coaching institute in Rajendra Nagar. The Delhi Fire Department and NDRF are at the spot. The Delhi Mayor and local MLA are also there. I am taking updates of the incident every minute,” she wrote in Hindi.  

The minister, who said in the post that anyone found guilty would not be spared, has also written to the Delhi chief secretary and asked him to ensure a magisterial inquiry is initiated immediately. She has sought a report within 24 hours. 

‘Avoidable Tragedy’

Hitting out at the AAP government, Bansuri Swaraj, BJP MP from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, who also reached the coaching centre, said the tragedy could have been avoided.

“Dedicated workers from the BJP repeatedly asked Durgesh Pathak to ensure that the sewers in this area are cleaned and de-silted. If that had been done, this tragedy would not have happened. You can see there’s 2-3 foot of water on the road, which inundated the basement. People are saying divers had to go in, so you can imagine how bad the situation is. The AAP government, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and MLA Durgesh Pathak are responsible for the tragedy and the death,” she said.

Mr Pathak said a drain or sewer seemed to have exploded, leading to the flooding. On the BJP’s allegations, he said the party’s councillors were in power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for 15 years but did not get drains constructed. “This is not the time for politics. The focus now is on saving the students,” the MLA said.