New Delhi: Five accused arrested on Monday, July 29, in connection with an incident in which three civil service aspirants drowned in the basement of a coaching centre here have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a court.
The five accused—four co-owners of the coaching center at Rajinder Nagar and the driver of a car—were produced in court, which sent them to judicial custody until August 12.
The driver of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that drove through the street that was flooded by rainwater, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-story building and inundate the basement, was among the five arrested. His counsel told the court that his client had no intention or knowledge of causing death and sought his immediate release on bail.
However, the plea was denied by the court.
Union minister blames Delhi government’s ‘carelessness’
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar said on Monday, July 29, that the Delhi government’s “carelessness” is responsible for the deaths of three students at a coaching institute in the national capital.
Three civil services aspirants died after the basement of a building housing Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching institute was flooded following rain in central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area on Saturday evening.
“I understand the agencies responsible for this carelessness are either the MCD or the Delhi government,” the minister said.
The minister was replying to a short discussion on the incident.
He said that a similar incident happened in Mukherjee Nagar, and the court had instructed the MCD to conduct a survey of institutes and make the required provisions.
Khattar said that 1,120 coaching institutes were issued notices in 2023, but no action was taken after the notices were issued. He said that timely action could have prevented such incidents.
The minister further said that a fire NOC (no objection certificate) was issued to the coaching centers in July, after which some complaints were made in this regard, but no inspection was carried out.
“There should be a system to carry out inspections. If the government is unable to do so, then a third-party assessment mechanism should be made for time-to-time inspection and prevent such mishaps,” the minister said.
He said that the names of all the entities found responsible for the tragic incident in Old Rajinder Nagar should be added to the FIR.
The minister said that the Delhi government should have initiated the clearing of drains before the start of the rainy season.
“Building plan permission is issued by the MCD. The fire NOC is given by the fire department, which is part of the Delhi government.Names of all related departments should be added in the FIR that has been filed,” Khattar said.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Tamreen Sultana | 
