The death of the three UPSC aspirants due to sudden flooding in the basement of a coaching centre in the Rajendra Nagar area of West Delhi has led to a blame game among political parties.
The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pinned the blame on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government and municipality for “criminal negligence” and “lack of desilting” leading to the deaths.
Meanwhile, Delhi urban development minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj laid the blame on the lack of action by the lieutenant governor (LG) against officials who have not undertaken the desilting work properly.
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Delhi LG VK Saxena, while ordering a probe by the divisional commissioner in the case, said Delhi was misgoverned in the past ten years. The Congress said it had made Delhi an “international city” but now the Capital of India is suffering from the “brunt of indifference”.
BJP party leaders attacked the Delhi government after the incident calling it “murder” due to inadequate drainage arrangements within the national capital. BJP will protest outside the AAP office in Delhi today demanding implementation of safety measures and strict action against those found guilty.
The Congress, too, plans to raise the issue in the Parliament today. Manickam Tagore moved an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha to discuss “Accountability for Delhi’s infrastructure tragedies and tragic losses”.
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The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested the owner and the coordinator of the coaching centre – Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar – and booked them for culpable homicide. They have been sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court.
A horrifying incident unfolded at a coaching centre in Delhi after heavy rain on Saturday. Water gushed into its basement – being used as a library in violation of rules. Several students were trapped and three died in the waterlogged basement.
The students – Shreya Yadav (25), Tania Soni (25), and Navin Delvin (28) – were left behind after the flooding and their bodies were recovered after a seven-hour-long rescue operation.
The absence of a drainage system and safety measures, and the use of the basement for commercial activities in violation of norms, led to the tragedy, according to the officials.
The coaching centre had permission to use the basement as a store room, but it was being used as a library, show certifications issued by Delhi civic body MCD.
Several videos of the incident went viral on social media in which some students are seen trying to save themselves from drowning after rainwater flooded the basement of the coaching institute.