Delhi Rau’s IAS deaths: MCD seals 5 more basements of coaching centres in Old Rajinder Nagar | Latest News India

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday sealed five more basements, including those of Drishti IAS Institute, Vajiram and Ravi Institute, and SriRam IAS Institute, following the deaths of three IAS aspirants due to flooding in the basement of Rau’s IAS coaching centre on July 27, according to news agency ANI.

Coaching centres staff vaccant basement office area after few coaching centre have been sealed by MCD, at Old Rajinder Nagar area, following the death of three civil services aspirants due to drowning at a coaching centre in New Delhi, India, on Monday, July 29, 2024. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

The MCD has also removed illegal encroachments and demolished platforms and ramps outside coaching centres in Old Rajinder Nagar within the Karol Bagh Zone.

Additionally, the MCD is surveying to identify coaching centres and other properties violating regulations in basements across all zones.

The MCD, facing accusations of negligence and failing to desilt storm water drains, has terminated a junior engineer and suspended an assistant engineer for alleged shortcomings.

In the past two days, the MCD has sealed 20 basements of coaching centres in Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar, which were illegally used as libraries or classrooms.

As authorities crack down on illegal basements, civil services aspirants in the city are experiencing uncertainty. Many coaching institutes in Old Rajinder Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar are cancelling their classes.

How many arrests have been made so far?

On Monday, five more people, including four co-owners of the basement where three civil services aspirants died, were arrested. Bulldozers began demolishing encroachments as public outrage over the deaths spread throughout the city, from Parliament to the streets of Old Rajinder Nagar.

Among those arrested was the driver of an SUV, which drove through the flooded street, causing the water to overflow and breach the gates of the three-storey building, inundating the basement. The SUV was also seized.

All five individuals were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by a court.

This brings the total number of arrests to seven, including the previously detained owner and coordinator of the coaching institute, who have been charged with culpable homicide.

Centre forms a committee to probe the incident

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has formed a committee to investigate the deaths caused by flooding in a coaching centre’s basement. The committee will examine the causes, determine responsibility, propose corrective measures, and recommend policy changes.

As Lok Sabha members from various parties called for an inquiry, hundreds of students continued to protest near Rau’s IAS Study Circle in the west Delhi area where the tragic events occurred on Saturday night. The floodwaters rose outside, trapping and killing the three students in the basement, which had been illegally used as a library.

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