Delhi Coaching Horror | Who is Responsible?

Tragedy at Rau's IAS Coaching Institute in Delhi

In Old Rajender Nagar, Delhi, for some students of Rau's IAS Coaching Institute, 27th July was a terrible day. The strange thing is that the same area which produced many IAS and IFS officers to solve the problems of our country, couldn't even find a solution for the basic drainage facilities of that area, where they were once students. The police needed a scapegoat, and they found one. This incident is a slap to Indian citizens because it happened a few days after the announcement of the budget and a few days before the tax submission deadline. The residents of Delhi have been slapped, because their MP blamed the state government, who blamed the MCD, whose officers are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, who is appointed by the central government. And this story is not just about Delhi, it's about every city in the country. Whether it's Delhi, Mumbai, or Bengaluru, the urban infrastructure is hollow from within. So what happened in the case of Rau's IS Institute? Let's know all the details.

Old Rajender Nagar: A Hub for UPSC Aspirants

Old Rajender Nagar is a locality in Central Delhi. In the 1950s, there were many commercial and residential buildings here. But mostly, there were Partition refugees living here. Coaching institutes were established here in the 1990s. Vajiram & Ravi was the first IAS coaching institute established here. After that, many such coaching centers were established here. Like Vision IAS, Chanakya IAS Academy, and Drishti IAS. Along with coaching centers, other businesses also started opening up. Like libraries, bookshops, and photocopy businesses. After this, Old Rajender Nagar became a hub for UPSC preparation. And Rau's IAS Institute was one of the many businesses operating in the area. Rau's IAS building has a three-story building with parking and a basement. The basement was 8 feet below the ground and was used as a library for students.

The Influx of Water and Trapped Students

On 27 July, it was raining heavily in this area and water reached up to 3 feet. As the water level increased, Rau's IAS Institute was safe. Because there was a 4-feet cement wall around the building. And there was a black iron gate in the middle. Due to this, water was not able to enter the building. But this changed in a little while. An SUV passed through the gate of Rau's IAS Institute at 6. 45 pm. Businessman Manoj Kathuria was driving the vehicle. And Central DSP M. Harshvardhan said that he was speeding. As the vehicle passed, a force was created which caused water to hit the gate of the institute. And the gate broke. After this, water started entering the basement of the institute. But Manoj's wife said that he was not speeding but was trying to reach a safe place. "My husband was just trying to reach a safe spot. " 15 minutes after this incident, the Delhi Fire Department received a call that water was gushing into the basement of Rau's IAS Institute. There was a library in the basement where 20 students were studying. Among these students were 29-year-old Navin Dalvin, a PhD research student at JNU, 21-year-old Tanya Soni, a graduate of DU, and 25-year-old Shreya Yadav, who became the first girl from her village in Uttar Pradesh to prepare for UPSC. A security guard came there and gave a warning. After this, the students left their bags and started running. One of the guards came down and shouted, 'hurry up and get your bags. Water is rushing in. ' The security guard on top shut off the power supply so that no one gets electrocuted.

Desperate Rescue Efforts and Tragic Loss of Life

A student in Rau's IAS said that the students were trying to come out but their hands were slipping on the railing. The last boy who came out of the basement said that two girls were left behind. He had tried to hold their legs but his hands slipped. The coordinator of the institute also tried to help. He got 7-8 students out of the basement. But the water was rushing into the basement. The students were not able to get out of the basement. The biometric system to get out of the building had malfunctioned. By 7. 25 PM, teams from the Delhi Police and Fire Department had reached there. They had four pumps with which they were getting the water out of the basement. The MCD had given them another pump. But the pumps were not helping. The inflow of water was very strong. But even after an hour, many students were missing. At 8. 30 PM, divers from the National Disaster Assistance Force were called to help the students. But late at night, three students' dead bodies were found in the basement. Many students claimed that not three, but at least eight people died. But no official confirmation was given about this. The official notice states that there were only three deaths.

Illegal Operation and Regulatory Violations

When the search and rescue operation was over, the next day, the Delhi Police filed a criminal case, after which many revelations were made. First of all, Rau's IAS Institute was illegally running a library in the basement. The government did give them a No Objection Certificate. But it was only for parking and storage. The 2021 Delhi Master Plan clearly mentions that the basement of commercial and residential buildings can be used as a storage, parking, and utility area. Now, there are exceptions to this. For examples, lawyers and doctors. The Educational Institute can also use the basement. But for that, they have to follow certain conditions. Like proper ventilation, drainage, lighting, and emergency exits. If they have all of these, the Educational Institute can inform the local authority and then they can get a permit to set up a classroom in the basement. But the management of the institute didn't do anything like this. They were using the basement without a permit.

Police Action and Prior Complaints Ignored

The Delhi Police said that they forged documents to show that they were using the basement for parking and storage. The police also claimed in their FIR that there was no drainage facility in the basement. And that's why the basement was flooded. So, on 28th July, the Delhi Police arrested Abhishek Gupta, the owner of the institute, and Deshpal Singh, the coordinator of the institute. It was also found out that last month, Kishore Singh Kushwah, who lives in Karol Bagh, had submitted three online complaints to the MCD. He said that several coaching institutes are using basements without any official permission. And the first complaint was submitted a month ago. Imam, a student, explained very well that the coaching centers charges Rs. 2 lakhs for the fees, but don't provide safety worth Rs. 2. As soon as this incident happened, students started protesting. And then, a ruckus broke out. First, the MP of the Aam Aadmi party, Swati Maliwal, came. "FIRs should be filed against all the government officials. " But the students started shouting at her and said that she shouldn't do politics there.

Government Response and Sealing of Coaching Institutes

But finally, the government came to their senses. Delhi's Mayor, Shelley Oberoi, said that she will take action against all the buildings where there is commercial activity in the basement. You must be confused as to what the responsibility of the mayor and the MP is. In a while, I'll clear up the confusion and tell you who is responsible for this incident. Around 13 coaching institutes in Rajendra Nagar were sealed due to this incident. The cabinet minister of the AAP, Atishi, said that many coaching institutes have built their buildings on the gutters which is why the water doesn't flow properly. "All the coaching centers there had encroached which is why the water doesn't flow properly in the drains. " After this news, MCD fired many officials who are responsible for keeping an eye on this encroachment. For example, they suspended a junior and assistant engineer from Karol Bagh zone, where this institute is.

Political Blame Game and the Arrest of an Unlikely Suspect

The next day, there was a lot of discussion about this incident in the parliament. But even after all this, we did not see accountability. Delhi's LG blames the AAP government, which blames Delhi's civil servants and MCD. Many MCD officials are elected, and many are appointed by LG. While LG's appointment is made by the central government. In the midst of all this, Delhi police arrested 5 people. One of them is Manoj Kathuria, who was driving his car at that time. So, imagine, when 3 students died, instead of working properly, Delhi police arrested the driver, because of whom the water entered into the basement. So, should people stop driving when it rains? This is how we'll become a 'global leader'. You've made a joke out of it. Manoj Kathuria's lawyers said, my client was just driving his car. Why did you arrest him? And not the MCD, PWD or Delhi Jal Board officials. The courts did ask the Delhi police; why did you arrest this innocent man? But his bail was rejected.

The Release of the Driver and the Underlying Political Confusion

Thankfully, he got his bail today. But why did he have to go to jail? In Delhi's governance, whether it's the police, the government or the courts, there's a lot of drama going on. And I want to tell you who's responsible for this drama. Don't make the mistake that this problem was created due to a lack of money. In fact, it was created due to political confusion. On paper, MCD is responsible. Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Because it's an elected body, with many members, who have been given the responsibility of the civic and infrastructure of Delhi. MCD's responsibility is to make the buildings follow the rules of basements, the road that's less than 60 feet should be cleaned, and the drains should be clean. But Delhi is not just a city, it's a union territory which has been given the special status of National Capital Territory. And this is what creates problems.

The Complex Governance Structure and Lack of Accountability

Technically, MCD is responsible for local-level governance. It receives significant funding from the state government. And Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, who's appointed by the central government, which means he's an unelected official, can appoint MCD's officers. Delhi's High Court is also fed up with this. They said that this state of confusion is a good strategy where no agency takes any responsibility but keep blaming each other. We can see the same confusion in the management of the drains. Delhi has 3740 km of drains. But guess how many authorities manage these drains? Eight. Public Works Department manages the drains around Ring Road. Municipal Corporation of Delhi manages the drains that are less than 60 feet. That's why Kuldeep Sharma, a resident of Delhi, said, the chief Minister is in jail, which is why the administration is on autopilot. The Prime Minister is busy with 'Mann Ki Baat. ' The Mayor is celebrating the rain. And the LG keep fighting with the elected government. While the education mafia, without paying taxes, is playing with people's lives. Recently, I made many videos on India's urban infrastructure. Whether it's Delhi, Bengaluru, or Mumbai, our cities are in the ICU. And the problem is not money, it's accountability. When there are municipal and state elections in Delhi, why is an unelected LG governing? What's the logic behind this? We should give clear responsibility and accountability to local governments. We don't realize that we're standing on top of a quicksand because of this political state of confusion. But unfortunately, the IT cell and media keep you distracted on Hindu-Muslim issues. That's why you don't realize that you're stuck in a quicksand. And there's only one way out of the quicksand. Fix accountability at the local level.