Coaching Centre Tragedy: Delhi Court Sends Five Accused to 14-Day Judicial Custody

New Delhi: On the evening of July 27, three UPSC aspirants studying in the basement of a prominent IAS coaching centre in Delhi's Rajendra Nagar, lost their lives after drowning due to waterlogging in the basement. 

Delhi Mayor had ordered action following which the MCD has sealed 13 ‘illegal’ coaching centres in the national capital; the owner and coordinator of Rau's IAS Study Circle, the coaching centre in question, have been sent to 14 days of judicial custody and an official statement has also been issued by the coaching centre.

Read to know the updates so far, in terms of the investigation in the Delhi Coaching Centre Tragedy that claimed three innocent lives…

Delhi IAS Coaching Centre Tragedy: LIVE Updates

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), on Monday, constituted a committee to inquire into the unfortunate incident. The committee said it would also inquire into the reasons, fix responsibility, and provide suggestions. The committee will have an Additional Secretary, MoUHA, Principal Secretary (Home), Delhi Govt, Special CP, Delhi Police, Fire Advisor and JS, MHA as Convener.
• Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, on Monday, announced Rs 10 lakh financial assistance for each of the families of the deceased in the incident  
• BJP demanded jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's resignation over coaching centre mishap. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva told ANI, “The Delhi government is nurturing the corrupt system and is itself involved in corruption. My question to Sanjay Singh is why doesn't their Chief Minister, who is in jail, resign? And why don't their other ministers  work?” 
• Advocate Rakesh Malhotra, counsel for Manuj Kathuria, one of the accused arrested in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar incident, said, "This is an unfortunate incident...But the police were not able to explain today on what basis they have arrested all five people..Tomorrow we will file a bail application for Manuj Kathuria...The theory that the police have given behind the arrest of Manuj Kathuria is baseless...This case is a clear example of the failure of the government authority...All the five accused have been sent for Judicial custody till August 12..." 
• AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, "Coaching classes and libraries have been running in the basements of buildings for 25-30 years. BJP was in power in the MCD for the last 15 years, why did the BJP not take action? Our Mayor is continuously sealing such coaching institutes. Delhi LG has said that the drainage system has been blocked for 10 years. Who was in the MCD then? AAP came in the MCD last year whereas BJP was in MCD for 15 years..."
• Water Minister in the Delhi government Atishi, on Monday, directed the Chief Secretary to submit the magisterial inquiry report by 10 pm tonight. 
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• Tis Hazari Court in Delhi sent the five arrested accused to 14-day judicial custody 
• Comparing the coaching culture to no less than 'gas chambers,' Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar stated, "In a country where opportunities are getting enlarged this silo is turning out to be a problem..they are becoming no less than a gas chamber." He urged the members to tell the youths about the various other employment and skill opportunities available in the country. (with PTI inputs)
• Dhankar said that coaching had become a flourishing industry with high returns and the kind of advertisements needed to be examined. He added, "Every penny spent on advertisements comes from the students. Every new building comes from the students. So there is really a need for an approach that can go a long way in tackling it..."

• Delhi Police, on Sunday, served a notice to MCD seeking information in the investigation of the coaching centre tragedy.  
• MCD, on Monday, initiated action against the alleged encroachment in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar after three students lost their lives due to drowning.

• Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj speaking on the de-silting and waterlogging in the national capital on Monday, said, "On February 6, I had issued the first notice to convene a meeting of all senior officials including Commissioner MCD over de-silting. I ordered that all departments should have a comprehensive strategy regarding de-silting to avoid waterlogging. You will be surprised to know that so many IAS officers including Naresh Kumar were called to the meeting but none of them attended it. This was the seriousness." 

• Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav, on Monday, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre incident. 
  He wrote, "You are requested to direct the government to provide compensation of Rs 1 crore each to the families of the deceased students and also fix responsibility for this incident and take strict action immediately."

• In an official statement, the Fire Department said, “Delhi Fire  Department started the process of cancelling the NOC of the building, in which Rau IAS coaching was functioning. NOC of the building will be cancelled." 
• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha, on Monday, said, "There was negligence. Only when accountability is fixed, there will be a solution...It is our responsibility to ensure that such an incident is not repeated...."

• A political war of words has erupted over the accountability of this mishap, which was caused due to the negligence of the authorities; BJP has termed this accident a ‘murder by AAP’. 
• In a statement, the coaching centre said, “In light of the recent tragic event involving the students of Rajendra Nagar Rau's IAS Study Circle, Rau's IAS Study Circle extends its heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased students, Ms. Tanya Soni, Mr. Nivin Dalwin, and Ms. Shreya Yadav, Our thoughts are profoundly with the families during this incredibly difficult time, We are deeply saddened by the loss of these promising young individuals who were preparing to serve our nation with dedication and commitment. This tragedy has touched us all, and we recognize the profound impact it has had on their families, friends, and the broader community.”
• “RAU's IAS Study Circle is fully committed to supporting the ongoing investigations into this tragic incident. We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and agencies to ensure that all necessary information is provided and that the investigation proceeds with the utmost diligence. We are dedicated to assisting in any way possible to uncover the truth and ensure accountability”, the centre further added.
• The demands of the students protesting against the tragedy are - Rs 1 Crore compensation to the family of the victims, official declaration of the exact number of casualties in the incident by the authorities, and all commercial establishments operating from basements in the area be identified and shuttered.
• Another big update is that the owner of the Rau's IAS Study Circle, Abhishek Gupta and the centre's coordinator Deshpal Singh, who were arrested on Sunday have been sent to a 14-day judicial custody.
• Both the owner and coordinator have been booked for culpable homicide among other charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
• MCD has started taking action in the case and so far, 13 ‘illegal’ basements of coaching centres in Delhi have been sealed; these include IAS Gurukul, Chahal Academy, Plutus Academy, Sai Trading, IAS Setu, Topper's Academy, Dainik Samvad, Civils Daily IAS, Career Power, 99 Notes, Vidya Guru, Guidance IAS, and Easy for IAS.
• Students have been continuously protesting against the authorities in the Old Rajendra Nagar area and neat the Karol Bagh Metro Station, raising slogans of ‘we want justice’.
• The students protesting are also demanding the resignation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi following the tragedy that took three lives. 
• According to PTI, an MCD official said that the coaching centre's building plan was approved by the MCD in 2021 and the building completion certificate clearly states that the basement must only be used for parking and storage; this means that the library was illegal. 
• Speaking with ANI, DCP Central M Harshavardhan confirms that 5 more accused have been arrested in this case. With this, the total number of people arrested in the case stands at seven. The arrested persons include the owners of the basement and an individual who drove a vehicle which appears to have damaged the gate of the building.

• Delhi BJP workers and leaders protest against the AAP government in Delhi, near the AAP Office.

• Security has been beefed up in the coaching hub of Old Rajinder Nagar amid a protest by IAS aspirants over the death of three students due to flooding in their institute's basement following heavy rains, officials said on Monday.
• "The police have erected barricades near the protest site where students are sitting and protesting. The security personnel were initially checking the ID cards, but now they have allowed everyone to go to the protest site. Two earthmovers have also reached the spot," said Ankit Singh, one of the protesters.
• Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi will hold an emergency meeting at 3 pm at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) headquarters over the deaths of three IAS aspirants after the basement of their coaching centre got flooded following heavy rain, officials said on Monday.
•  BJP leaders and workers on Monday staged a protest near the AAP office here, demanding the resignation of the Arvind Kejriwal government as Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva termed the deaths of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre a "murder".