The Delhi Police on Monday arrested five more people in connection with the death of three UPSC aspirants in the basement of a coaching centre here, taking the total number of arrests to seven.
Basements or portions of five more coaching centres, which were in violation of laws, were sealed on Monday by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). So far, the civic body has acted against 19 centres, including Rau’s IAS Study Circle where the three aspirants drowned.
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MCD Mayor Shelly Oberoi said the agency conducted an anti-encroachment drive to remove structures encroaching drains in Rajinder Nagar and nearby areas. The MCD terminated the services of a junior engineer of the Karol Bagh zone in which the coaching centre is located and initiated disciplinary action against an assistant engineer.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted a probe committee that will inquire into the reasons leading to the incident, fix responsibility and suggest policy changes. It will submit a report in 30 days.
Students, who have been protesting since Saturday night in the Old Rajinder Nagar area, continued their stir on Monday outside the Rau’s centre. Huddled around barricades, the aspirants demanded transparency in the investigation, better infrastructure and compensation for the families of the deceased. “There are live wires hanging all around, the reading rooms are overcrowded and potholes every second step. Should one always have to step out fearing that they might die,” asked a protester.
Demanding an audience with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K. Saxena, the students accused the Delhi Police and the MCD of complacence. “We wanted to speak to the L-G and put forward our demands and ask about the investigation,” said a 25-year-old aspirant from Maharashtra.
On Monday evening, Mr. Saxena announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh for each of the families of three deceased. Political blame game over the deaths continued with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hitting the streets in protest.
SUV driver arrested
Of the five people arrested, one was a man, Manoj Katariya, who drove an SUV through the waterlogged road outside the coaching centre, causing a wave to hit its gate and damaging it. Water then breached the gate of the building and flooded its basement. Police have seized the vehicle.
Besides Mr. Katariya, owners of different floors of the building -- Parvinder Singh, Sarvjit Singh, Harvinder Singh and Tejinder Singh -- were arrested. The accused, arrested under the FIR filed on Sunday, were sent to 14 days’ judicial custody by a Delhi court. On Sunday, two people, the coordinator and the owner of the coaching centre, were arrested by Delhi Police.
The lawyers of the accused submitted in court that they were not provided with a copy of the FIR and that the arrest is illegal. The counsel representing the driver sought bail for his client and submitted that the road was not closed, so his client had no idea that his action will lead to such a consequence.
“My client was just driving the car. How will he be able to anticipate that the students were inside the basement and that water would flow in? Why only common people are arrested in this incident and not the traffic inspector who should have stopped the vehicle or officials from MCD or PWD or DJB,” he asked.
The bail application of the car driver will be heard on July 30.
Also Read: Delhi IAS coaching centre ‘held classes in basement’; complaint filed month ago
Police write to MCD
The Delhi Police has written to the MCD seeking a status report on the de-silting of drains near the coaching centre. Police sought details if a complaint was made against the institute to the civic agency and any action taken. “We will seek response from MCD officials regarding desilting of drains and the clearance certificate issued by them to Rau’s IAS Study Circle,” an officer said.
Police have demanded information on the cleaning of drains and the number of inspections carried out in the area. The MCD has been asked to furnish the occupancy certificate in which the basement owner allegedly said that it was supposed to be used for parking and storage, police said.
Politics continues
The BJP protested near the AAP headquarters in Delhi against the alleged “criminal negligence” of the Delhi government that led to the deaths. The AAP protested outside the L-G’s office demanding the removal of the MCD Commissioner and punitive action against officials who did not de-silt the drains. The AAP has been alleging that the L-G is not taking action against officials despite multiple complaints against them.
The MHA committee will comprise Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Principal Secretary (Home), Delhi Government, Special Commissioner of Police, Delhi, Fire Advisor and Joint Secretary, MHA as the Convenor.
Delhi is a Union Territory with an Assembly. However, land, public order and police are under the direct control of the Union government.
Published - July 29, 2024 11:49 am IST
