Authorities are stepping up their probe in response to the terrible deaths of three IAS candidates in the flooded basement of Rau’s IAS teaching center in Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi. DCP Harsha Vardhan has verified that there have been five further arrests in relation to the event, increasing the total to seven. Arrested people include two individuals who owned the coaching centre themselves and one who has been accused of destroying the main entrance gate for the building.
DCP Harsha Vardhan stressed that severe measures are being taken to ensure justice and uphold peace and order in the region, adding that no one accountable for the crime will escape punishment. Students are seeking safety measures and accountability in response to the incident, which has spurred massive protests.
The leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Sanjay Raut, has urged that the Narendra Modi administration engage with the students and chastised them for not responding to their protests. Raut stressed that it’s important to address the fundamental causes of the crisis rather than placing blame.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would be included in the inquiry, according to proposals revealed by the Delhi police. MCD authorities will receive a notification inviting them to participate in the investigation and review the coaching center-related paperwork. The basement of Rau’s IAS coaching center, where the students perished, was being used for commercial purposes in violation of Delhi building rules and lacked a suitable drainage system, according to preliminary investigations.
In response to the incident, Rau’s IAS coaching centre has issued a statement expressing full cooperation with the ongoing investigation. Additionally, Congress MP Dr. Amar Singh has moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, demanding accountability for the deaths and emphasizing the need for improved safety regulations in coaching centres.
The tragedy has also prompted security enhancements at the protest sites in Old Rajinder Nagar, where students continue to demand stringent action against government authorities and landowners responsible for illegal commercial activities in basements. The Congress party has taken up the issue in the Lok Sabha, with party whip Manickam Tagore filing an adjournment motion to discuss the broader implications of Delhi’s infrastructure failures.
An independent probe into the deaths has been requested through a plea filed in the Delhi High Court by the NGO Hindu Rashtriya Pravasi Manch. The plea seeks immediate measures from the MCD to prevent waterlogging and improve safety regulations in the city’s coaching centres.
AAP leader Somnath Bharti inspected coaching centres in Kalu Sarai to ensure compliance with safety standards. Meanwhile, the MCD has sealed off the basements of 13 coaching centres as part of a crackdown on bylaw violations, and seven properties and three basements have been shut down in Karol Bagh.
The Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has demanded a report on the incident by July 30, promising strict punishment for those found guilty and condemning the tragedy as “unpardonable.”
As the investigation continues and authorities take action, the student protests and public outcry underscore the urgent need for stringent safety measures and accountability in Delhi’s coaching centres.
