Amid mounting criticism and student protests over the deaths of three IAS aspirants at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar, the Delhi Police and municipal corporation have taken decisive action. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continue to exchange blame for the incident.
Bulldozer Action in Rajendra Nagar
On Monday, the police arrested five additional individuals in connection with the deaths. Among those arrested is an SUV driver, accused of driving his vehicle on the flooded road outside the coaching centre, causing water to flood into the basement where the students were trapped. A viral video showed the SUV navigating through the flooded street, sending a wave of water into the coaching centre and allegedly breaking the iron gate as water surged inside. The SUV has been seized by the police.
The police also detained four owners of the building and basement of the coaching centre, bringing the total number of arrests to seven. On Sunday, July 28, the owner and coordinator of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar were already in custody.
Despite these arrests, no municipal corporation officers or bureaucrats have been held accountable, although the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been served a notice by the police. According to a PTI report, police may question MCD officials about the desilting of drains and the clearance certificate issued to the coaching centre.
Facing accusations of negligence and failing to desilt storm drains, the MCD initiated an anti-encroachment drive in Old Rajinder Nagar. Bulldozers were deployed near Rau’s IAS Study Circle to remove illegal structures covering storm drains, which had contributed to waterlogging.
Additionally, the civic body terminated a junior engineer and suspended an assistant engineer related to the incident. These officials were part of the maintenance department in the Karol Bagh Zone, as stated by MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar to PTI. Kumar explained that encroachments over storm drains led to waterlogging and rainwater entering the basement of the coaching centre.
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On the political front, AAP has blamed bureaucrats for the tragedy. Delhi Minister of Health, Water, and Urban Development Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged that no IAS officers attended a crucial meeting on February 13 to discuss the city’s drain management.
Bhardwaj asserted that the responsibility for desilting drains does not lie with his department, but rather with the MCD, Public Works Department (PWD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and Delhi Development Authority (DDA). These departments fall under the central government and report directly to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. The MCD Commissioner also reports to the Lieutenant Governor.
“The only way to deal with waterlogging is to clean the drains. When desilting is done, the silt is left on the roadside and common people also complain,” Bhardwaj said.
“A notice for a meeting was issued on February 6 to discuss drain management, and the meeting was held on February 13. The Chief Secretary and all senior officials were called, but not a single IAS officer attended,” he added.
