The rescue operation at RAU'S IAS Study Center, located in Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi, concluded after flooding in the basement. The tragedy claimed the lives of two female students and one male student. Delhi government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident, and students preparing for civil services at the coaching center are protesting and demanding action against those responsible.
The bodies of the three deceased students have been taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for post-mortem. The deceased male student, named Nevin Dalvin from Kerala, had been preparing for IAS over the past eight months while pursuing a PhD at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. He lived in Patel Nagar and had arrived at the library around 10 AM. His friends are trying to communicate with his family. The deceased female students have been identified as Tanya Soni (25), daughter of Vijay Kumar, and Shreya Yadav (25), daughter of Rajendra Yadav. Shreya had recently enrolled in the coaching center in June/July and was from Barsawa Hashimpur in Ambedkarnagar district, UP.
The police report that the rescue operation at the coaching center in Old Rajendra Nagar has concluded. Three bodies were recovered, and their families have been informed. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.
The Delhi Fire Department received a call about flooding in the basement of the coaching center around 7 PM on Saturday evening. The severity of the situation prompted an immediate rescue operation by the NDRF team, with divers being deployed due to the extent of the flooding.
The basement housed a library, drawing a significant number of students. According to Fire Department Director Atul Garg, 30 students were present when the incident occurred, with three getting trapped. The rescue operation led to the recovery of three bodies, including two female students and one male student.
Initial findings reveal that the basement, where the library is situated, rapidly filled with water. Stranded students were rescued using ropes. A student recounted that by the time they exited the library around 7 PM, water was flooding in with intense pressure. Within 2-3 minutes, the water had risen to 10-12 feet, making it challenging to evacuate.
New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj claimed that poor maintenance of local drains caused the basement flooding. She asserted that residents had repeatedly requested drain cleaning from MLA Durgesh Pathak, but their pleas were ignored, leading to this tragic outcome.
A police officer reported that the basement was so flooded that library furniture was floating, complicating the rescue efforts. The heavy rain had already flooded streets, and extracting water from the basement required the use of four motor pumps.
A protesting student criticized the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for not addressing the regular flooding issue, despite the high fees paid by students. The student mentioned that it took 12-15 hours to rescue people from the library, with only 1% surviving.
Delhi's Education Minister Atishi tweeted that the city's fire department and NDRF were on-site, along with the mayor and local MLA. Atishi emphasized that a magisterial investigation was ordered to uncover the cause and hold those responsible accountable.
DCP (Central Delhi) M Harshvardhan reported that heavy rain contributed to street flooding and that the rapid basement flooding is under investigation. The bodies have been transferred to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for post-mortem.
