Delhi IAS coaching centre tragedy: Delhi LG launches scathing attack on authorities over criminal negligence

Amidst the outrage over the tragic incident at an IAS coaching centre in Delhi's Rajinder Nagar, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena on Sunday directed the divisional commissioner to submit a report on the tragedy that resulted in the death of three civil service aspirants due to rain-induced flooding in the basement.

Also read: Caught on cam: Moment water gushed into Delhi IAS coaching centre's basement; fire NoC lapse surfaces (WATCH)

The LG emphasized that the incident underscores "criminal neglect" and a lack of "basic maintenance" by the concerned agencies.

Saxena expressed deep anguish over the incident involving the death of the civil services aspirants. "That this should happen in the Capital of India is most unfortunate & unacceptable," he said in a post on X.

"Reportedly 7 other citizens have died due to electrocution in the past few days. My deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives. You are in my thoughts and prayers," he added.

Saxena stated that he has been closely monitoring the situation and personally oversaw the rescue operations conducted by Delhi Police and the fire department.

"These incidents clearly points towards criminal neglect & failure of basic maintenance & administration by concerned agencies & departments," he said in another post.

"Drainage in the city and related infrastructure, as also required efforts and endeavours to address these have apparently collapsed, Saxena said.

He added that the incident is indicative of the "larger malaise of misgovernance that Delhi has been subjected to during the last decade or so".

The LG stated that the role of coaching institutions and landlords in not ensuring the basic safety of students, who pay hefty fees and rents while being away from their homes, needs to be examined.

"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," he added.

"While nothing can bring back the precious young lives lost due to apathy of the administration and criminal misconsuct of those running coaching institutions, responsibility of those who caused the loss of lives, will be fixed and guilty will be brought to book," Saxena concluded.

Earlier today, the owner and the coordinator of Rau's IAS coaching centre were arrested as protests erupted in the area over the incident.

Officials reported that the coaching institute had permission to use the basement as a storeroom, but it was being utilized as a library, which constitutes a rules violation.

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has directed the MCD commissioner to take strict action against institutes using basements for commercial purposes in violation of building bye-laws and to hold accountable any officers responsible for the incident.

Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg stated that the institute was operating in violation of the fire department's norms.

"The building has fire NOC, but in the NOC they had shown the basement will be used as store room. The management of the institute was using the same room as a classroom or library which is a violation of the NOC," Garg told PTI.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Abhishek Gupta, the owner of the coaching centre, and Deshpal Singh, the coordinator of the centre.

Protests erupted in Rajinder Nagar following the incident, with former DCW chief Swati Maliwal and Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav visiting the scene.

Search operations by agencies at the coaching centre continued beyond midnight, concluding after seven hours.

The police identified Shreya Yadav from Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam, Kerala, as the victims who died in the incident.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed his condolences for the three IAS aspirants who lost their lives, stating that common people are bearing the cost of unsafe construction, poor town planning, and institutional irresponsibility at all levels.

Congress leader Pawan Khera described the incident as "a man-made disaster."

"The students had come from far-off places to study in Delhi. But what is the system of filtering out illegal structures from legal structures? Is the MCD looking into it? What about the drainage system? All these questions plague these controversies around these deaths," Khera said.

"Last week, a student died after touching a live wire. Is this how we should treat students coming to Delhi? Action has to be taken, accountability has to be fixed, and Delhi cannot be seen as such an insensitive city," he said.

Also read: Delhi horror: Outrage as 3 students drown in flooded basement at IAS coaching centre in Rajender Nagar (WATCH)

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva labeled the incident as "murder," stating that students who came to Delhi to build their futures have "become victims of corruption."

"Nobody is answering how the library was established in the basement. There was an incident in Mukherjee Nagar, the Delhi govt had launched the investigation. What has happened to the investigation? Delhi Minister (Atishi) has still not reached the spot. The locals were asking for cleaning of drainage. Whoever is responsible should be punished. What is the fault of students?" he said.

In response to the incident, Mayor Oberoi instructed the MCD commissioner to take strict action against all coaching centres across Delhi under MCD jurisdiction that are operating commercial activities in basements. She stated that these operations violate building bye-laws and are not in compliance with regulations.

She also called for an inquiry to determine if any MCD officers were responsible for the incident.