Ongoing Protests in Delhi After Tragic UPSC Aspirants Deaths

Protests in Delhi's Rajinder Nagar continue after three UPSC aspirants died in flooding at a coaching institute. The Mayor has announced new public libraries in their honor and reinforced stricter regulations for safety. Seven arrests have been made and the SUV driver was granted bail by a local court.

Protests outside the coaching institutes in Delhi's Rajinder Nagar marked their sixth day on Friday following the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a flooding incident. The students have demonstrated continuously since July 27.

The uproar began after Shreya Yadav (Uttar Pradesh), Nivin Dalwin (Kerala), and Tanya Soni (Telangana) lost their lives when a basement library at Rau's IAS campus was submerged by rainwater. The incident was triggered by a burst drain on July 27, damaging the single biometric entry/exit point.

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has directed that four new libraries be established to honor the deceased aspirants. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to open these libraries in Rajinder Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Patel Nagar, and Ber Sarai.

"Nothing can fulfill the loss that Delhi feels, but we are trying to improve public reading spaces for students," said Mayor Oberoi. MCD Commissioner Ashwani Kumar, meeting with UPSC aspirants, mandated actions against misuse of basements, including separate entry and exit gates and immediate sealing of non-compliant buildings.

The deadly incident has underscored the urgency for stricter enforcement of building regulations. Plans exist to make building layouts public and to remove encroachments over drains and footpaths. Police have arrested seven individuals, including the SUV driver involved in the case.

On Thursday, Delhi's Tis Hazari court granted bail to Manuj Kathuria, the SUV driver accused of causing the flood. Kathuria allegedly drove his vehicle negligently, leading to the basement's inundation.