Delhi: 3 Students Drown as Heavy Rains Flood IAS Coaching Center
3 IAS aspirants students drowned to death in New Delhi’s famous Rau’s IAS Study Circle’s illegal basement after it got flooded because of heavy rainfall.
On 27th July 2024, New Delhi experienced one of the worst monsoon-related tragedies of the year. Heavy rainfall between 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm led to severe flooding in many parts of the city, including Old Rajendra Nagar.
At around 7 pm, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) received an emergency call about flooding at Rau’s IAS Study Circle, a coaching center for UPSC students. The building’s basement, used as a library, had filled with 12-15 feet of muddy water, trapping students inside.
Eyewitnesses described the chaos as the basement flooded. Student Hridesh Chouhan said, "It was terrifying... someone shouted, ‘paani aa raha hai, jaldi baahar niklo’. We tried to retrieve our belongings, but water surged in within minutes." Another student, Aishwarya Rai, mentioned that the supervisor asked them to form a human chain, but the panic caused students to fall from the stairs.
Videos of the incident went viral on social media, showing floodwaters entering the basement as cars passed by on the road outside. The iron gate eventually broke, allowing water to flood the area completely.
Despite a rapid response from DFS and the National Disaster Response Force, rescue operations faced delays due to severe traffic jams. By the time rescuers arrived, the basement was fully submerged. They used water pumps, suction machines, ropes, and body harnesses to evacuate the students.
Tragically, three students did not survive. Telangana’s Tania Soni, Uttar Pradesh’s Shreya Yadav, and Kerala’s Navin Delvin were found dead after a 7-hour rescue operation.
Reports revealed that the heavy rainfall overwhelmed Delhi’s drainage system. The Delhi Police are interrogating Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials and may issue notices for poor drain management.
Investigations showed that the coaching center had falsely shown the basement as a storeroom in its building plan to get approval from the MCD. Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg stated that using the basement as a library caused major restrictions in de-watering it during the emergency.
On 28th July, protests erupted outside the coaching center, with students and parents demanding justice and the center’s shutdown. The Delhi Police registered an FIR against Rau’s IAS Study Circle, Abhishek Gupta, and coordinator Deshpal Singh, who were arrested and placed in 14-day judicial custody.
The MCD has begun taking action against illegal coaching centers, sealing 13 illegal basements in Old Rajendra Nagar. They also announced a special committee to investigate the flooding.
In a similar incident, a 26-year-old UPSC student was electrocuted after touching an iron gate charged with electricity during the rain in Patel Nagar.
Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi has ordered strict action against coaching institutes. BJP leaders blamed the AAP administration for the incident, citing ignored requests to clean the drains. MCD terminated two engineers over the matter.
BJP councillors protested in the MCD House, and earth movers demolished illegal portions of coaching institutes in Old Rajendra Nagar. The driver of a speeding SUV that contributed to the gate breaking was also arrested.
In the evening, UPSC students held a candlelight vigil near Rau’s IAS Study Circle. Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena announced a ?10 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased students.
