What Led To Sudden Drowning of Students at IAS Coaching Centre in Delhi's Rajendra Nagar?

New Delhi: The recent deaths of two female IAS aspirants at their coaching centre due to basement flooding have sparked outrage in the national capital. The incident occurred on Saturday evening in Rajendra Nagar, a prominent coaching hub in the city.

According to official sources, at least 35 students were present for classes when the flooding occurred. Most students managed to escape from the basement, but two to three students were reported missing, and the bodies of two students have been recovered from the scene. Rescue operations are still underway, officials said.

What Led to the Mishap:

Official sources reported that a nearby drainage burst due to the heavy downpour, which led to the basement of the coaching centre being suddenly filled with water. Upon receiving the information, police teams from Central Delhi, fire department officials, district administration, and NDRF teams rushed to the scene to conduct rescue operations.

According to officials from the Delhi Fire Service, the department received a distress call around 7 pm, prompting an immediate response. Efforts to contact the missing students via their mobile phones have been unsuccessful as their phones are not reachable.

In response to this tragedy, AAP minister Atishi announced that a magistrate inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

Official Statement:

"A total of five fire tenders were dispatched to the site. The basement was completely flooded," an official said. During the rescue operation conducted by the NDRF, local police, and fire department, one female student's body was retrieved from the site. However, two students are still missing. Rescue operations are ongoing, according to officials.

Locals are now questioning the MCD and the AAP government. Delhi BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj and MCD Mayor Shelly Oberoi have also visited the site to inspect the rescue operations.

On the Old Rajender Nagar incident, DCP Central M Harshavardhan said, “At 7 pm, we received information that the basement of a USPC coaching institute in Rajender Nagar has been flooded with a possibility of some people trapped. There was waterlogging on the road due to heavy rains this evening. We are investigating the matter that how the entire basement got flooded. It appears that the basement got flooded very fast and some people got trapped inside the basement. Delhi Fire Service and NDRF resued teams are present here. Search and rescue operations are underway... Till now, the dead body of one girl student has been recovered...”

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said, “These students came here to build their future. However, the government of CM Arvind Kejriwal and MLA Durgesh Pathak ignored repeated requests from local residents. People had been asking Durgesh Pathak for the past week to clean the drainage systems. There is still 2.5 feet of waterlogged on the street. Arvind Kejriwal and Durgesh Pathak are responsible for these deaths.”