Three UPSC examinees lost their lives when the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle flooded in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar on Saturday.
The incident sparked across the country, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Aam Aadmi Party trading charges. The incident took the lives of Shreya Yadav (Uttar Pradesh), Nivin Dalwin (Kerala), and Tanya Soni (Telangana).
The gate of Rau’s IAS study circle in the area broke down, and water entered the streets of Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar due to waterlogging after heavy rains. At this moment, water accumulates in the basement of the building housing 20–25 students. The PUSA weather station at Old Rajinder Nagar, the nearest meteorological office, reported 31.5 mm of rain between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm on Saturday. About 15 students escaped from the basement when security guards on the floor above turned off the power supply to prevent electrocution. Three-four people came out from the basement. By 7 p.m., the road was waterlogged. Delhi Police teams and five fire tenders reached the spot, with four pumps to drain the water from the building’s basement to the road. MCD also provided an additional pump. At 7 pm, we received a call about a basement flooding in the Old Rajinder Nagar area, and some people were trapped. We are all aware that due to heavy rainfall in the area in the evening, there was a lot of waterlogging in the roads and surrounding buildings as well. We are investigating how the basement flooded, but it is true that the basement was flooded very quickly, due to which some people were trapped inside,” DCP Central M Harsh Vardhan said, describing the incident. About an hour later, divers from the National Disaster Response Force were called to the spot to evacuate the students.The body of a student named Shreya Yadav was recovered in six feet of deep water. The body of the second victim, Tanya Soni, was later recovered. Nivin Dalwin’s body was recovered after the floodwater was taken out.
After completing the search and rescue operation, Delhi Police registered a criminal case in the early hours of Sunday, July 28. In the wake of the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sealed 13 coaching centers, saying they were operating in basements, violating norms. The MCD will also constitute a high-level committee to probe the flood incident. According to a report in The Indian Express, a complaint was lodged with the MCD about the alleged illegal use of the basement a month before the incident. Reminders were sent to civic bodies on July 15 and July 22.
The protesting students, some of whom witnessed the incident, claimed that access to the building is controlled through a biometric system, which means that if there is a power cut, those inside have no way out. They also held a candlelight procession late on Sunday night. The lieutenant governor has directed divisional commissioner Manish Kumar Gupta—covering every aspect of the floods—to submit a report by Tuesday. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak over the incident.
On Monday, Delhi Police arrested five more people, taking the total to seven. These include the Executive Officer and Chief Basement of Rau.
