UPSC aspirants death: How Delhi coaching centre ’flouted norms’ — 5 key factors that may have led to mishap

Three UPSC aspirants died in the basement of a popular IAS coaching institute in the Old Rajinder Nagar area of Delhi on Saturday after its basement was flooded following heavy rainfall. The incident brought to light norms violated by coaching centres being run in basements "illegally". The incident happened at the Rao IAS Study Centre.

Several students held a protest near the Karol Bagh metro station over the death of three civil services aspirants in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area. The protesters highlighted safety violations at coaching centres across the city and raised questions over the "negligence" of the Delhi government. Some protesting students were detained by police.

Here's a look a the 5 factors that may have led to the death of three UPSC aspirants at a coaching centre in Delhi's Rajinder Nagar:

1. 'Illegal' use of basement

Preliminary investigations revealed that the basement housed a library where several students were present when water suddenly started flooding the area.

A day after the three civil aspirants died, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi called for strict action against those responsible for the tragedy. "...action should be taken against coaching centres that violate norms by illegally using basements," she told news agency ANI on Sunday.

Oberoi also mentioned that according to the building completion certificate of the institute, the basement is designated for parking and storage only. "The completion certification of this building in Rajinder Nagar was given in 2021 and it is clearly written that the basement will be used only for parking and storage," she said.

According to news agency ANI, the North MCD had issued a certificate that allowed the said basement to be used for storage for parking and toilets. However, disregarding the rules, a library was established in the basement, the report added.

"This building only has permission for storage and parking but they have built a coaching centre and a library inside. There are many buildings like this," said AAP leader Durgesh Pathak.

Meanwhile, Delhi Fire Services Director Atul Garg said the building was given a fire No-Objection Certificate (NOC) with the basement to be used for storage and parking. "The owner misused it," he added.

2. 'Corruption in operation of illegal basements'

Meanwhile, former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal alleged corruption in the operation of illegal basements in the city.

In a post on X, she wrote, "...How can illegal basements operate without corruption? How can extra floors be added? How can encroachments on roads and drains occur without bribes? It is clear that there is no need to follow safety rules, just pay money, and the work gets done.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said these incidents clearly points towards “criminal neglect and failure of basic maintenance and administration by concerned agencies and departments”.

3. Delhi's drainage system 'collapsed'

As per a News 18 report, the building had four floors, a parking space and a basement. The report added that the rainfall in parts of Delhi on Saturday turned the area into a sinkhole and led to flooding "as the silt was not cleared". It said the clearing of the silt and drain with suction pumps began on Sunday, amid the uproar over the mishap.

Swati Maliwal said students revealed that they had been demanding drain cleaning repeatedly for ten days, but no action was taken. "The students are saying that 12 days ago they informed the counsellor that the drain system here is bad, so the counsellor and all the people above him should answer," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Meanwhile, AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak said, “Delhi's drainage system has collapsed and the reason for this is that the BJP was in power for 15 years. We have been here for the last 1 year and are working on the drains, but I do not want to get into any blame game, I want it to be investigated and strict action should be taken against whoever is responsible.”

4. Biometric system locked

The News 18 report cited students as saying that the library had a biometric system installed. This meant that the doors of the library would not open without the fingerprint being verified. As the water started to fill in, the power supply went off, leaving the doors locked. This could amount to “non-functional safety measures” mentioned in the NOC, thus hinting at another violation, the report added.

5. 'No fire exits or emergency exits'

A student said "there are no fire exits or emergency exits" at these these coaching centres. "There is a systemic problem in these coaching centres with a lack of interest in safety measures," she was quoted by PTI as saying.

Who are the 3 UPSC aspirants killed?

The Delhi Police identified the victims of Delhi's Old Rajender Nagar coaching centre incident as Shreya Yadav, a native of Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana; and Nivin Dalwin, a resident of Kerala's Ernakulam.

Police action taken

So far, Police arrested the owner and coordinator of the IAS coaching centre, where three students lost their lives. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central M Harshavardhan said that the police have registered a case against the coaching institute, the management of the building, and those responsible for the maintenance of the drain at that location.

"Case registered under sections 105, 106 (1), 115 (2), 290 and 35 of BNS. This case is against the coaching institute and the management of the building and those who were responsible for the maintenance of the drain of that place so far we have detained the owner and coordinator of that coaching centre. Further investigation underway" DCP Harshavardhan said.

Requests made to government

The Delhi mayor demanded an inquiry to identify if any MCD officers were responsible in the incident. Meanwhile, Swati Maliwal said an FIR should be registered against all these big government officials.

She said in a statement, "All such coaching centres across Delhi which are under the jurisdiction of MCD and running commercial activities in basements which are in violation of building bye-laws and are not as per norms, strict action should be taken against them immediately.

Delhi BJP Chief Virendra said there should be an inquiry into the "corruption" of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi and their government. "The Delhi Municipal Corporation's corruption should be investigated. There should be an inquiry as to why the drainage was not cleaned. Will they order an inquiry into this?" Sachdeva was quoted by ANI as saying.

Besides, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Sunday directed the divisional commissioner to submit a report on the incident at a coaching centre in Rajinder Nagar.

"What has been happening is unpardonable and such issues can no more be glossed over. I have asked the Divisional Commissioner to submit a report, covering every aspect of the tragic incident by Tuesday," Delhi LG said in a post on the social media platform.